


the darkest night

by toxicmew



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Accidental Voyeurism, Blood Drinking, Frottage, Hand Jobs, M/M, Mages, Magical Realism, Mild Cumplay, Shifters, Vampire Slayer(s), Vampires, Were-Creatures
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2020-01-15
Packaged: 2020-03-09 07:15:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 23,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18912136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/toxicmew/pseuds/toxicmew
Summary: Looking back on it, Jaemin would call it fate. In the moment, it was simply a happy accident that he stumbled upon the dog in the alleyway he was taking a shortcut through.





	1. Chapter 1

Looking back on it, Jaemin would call it fate. In the moment, it was simply a happy accident that he stumbled upon the dog in the alleyway he was taking a shortcut through.

It was a dark night, the moon barely a sliver of a fingernail in the sky and covered in dark, rain-threatening clouds. Jaemin hadn’t even been intending to step out of his apartment for at least another two days, determined to avoid the oncoming storm the weather channel predicted. He hated getting soaked, even if he couldn’t feel the chill that would set in for normal humans. Hell, he wasn’t even a human in the first place, not anymore at least, and that was the reasoning for stepping out of his comfortably warm,  _dry,_  apartment.

He had been a fool, too busy addicted to his Switch and wasting away the hours playing games. He ate when he felt the familiar burn at the back of his throat, the red glow of his eyes glinting against the screen whenever it dimmed black during scene transitions. He didn’t take stock of how his supply was dwindling, not until he went to grab a blood bag at one in the morning and noticed the stark emptiness of his refrigerator.

There wasn’t even any coffee left either, one of the few options his stomach could handle other than blood or water. It was distressing, and he promised himself to stock up on an entire grocery cart of coffee beans to supply his scarily expensive coffee maker the next time the sun set for the day. Hell, he could even try going that morning after the stores opened, because it wasn’t like he’d _burn_ in the sun. It was just uncomfortable, prickly, and headache inducing from the strain his eyes were put under.

That wasn’t his current focus though, because it was only two in the morning and he had been skulking through the streets with a suspicious pair of shades pulled over his eyes. It was impractical, and the humans probably thought him a freak, but it was the most convenient way to hide how his eyes glinted red in hunger. An inconvenience, as always, but it always helped freeze anybody he cornered for a snack for a moment at least.

Which led to now, with some pretty taller boy he had found stumbling away from a booming club. He was drunk, doe eyes lidded and sleepy and sheer shirt clinging to his sweaty chest. Blond hair in an unfortunate cut clung to his forehead, and he smiled dopily when Jaemin grabbed his arm to keep him from falling over into a pile of trash.

Jaemin smiled back charmingly, already feeling his fangs straining at his gums. Drunk blood wasn’t his favorite, the intoxication transferring to himself for a few hours until it dissipated, but blood was blood. He couldn’t contact his usual source until at least noon - he had been threatened with death by hellfire far too many times to bother him before the sun crested above them.

Besides, this human would be easy. He already looked charmed, eyes opening more and sparkling appreciatively as he looked over Jaemin’s face, “oh, thank you cutie.”

Jaemin laughed quietly, smile curling mischievously, “no, thank you.”

“Huh?” Was all the human could get out, before Jaemin was gently pressing him up against the brick wall of the alley, appreciatively trailing along the muscles he could feel under his fingertips. His smile turned more apologetic, breathing out another word of thanks before he let his fangs flash and bit at the boy’s neck.

A gasp, a little halted yelp and the boy’s fingers were scrabbling at the black bomber Jaemin had thrown on before leaving the apartment (because even if he couldn’t feel cold anymore, humans would find it strange if he wandered around in his sleep shirt). Grip tight, head tilting in a little whimper, the boy tried stuttering out questions before dissolving into a melodic moan as the venom set in. Eyes fluttering shut, he let out a satisfied hum, shifting so that he could secure an arm around the human’s trim waist.

Jaemin knew the process like the back of his hand, knew _himself_ , so it didn’t take him long to take what he needed. He wasn’t full, not by any means, but he hadn’t been full since he had been sired, since he had a caretaker to provide him with all the blood he craved. He was used to it though, the little cravings at the back of his head nothing like the burn that would come when he _needed_ to feed. Sure, it would be nice to indulge in more, to drain the human dry and to feel _satisfied_ , but then the boy would die. Jaemin wasn’t greedy, nor was he stupid. A dead human with bites on his neck would draw hunters, always out to ensure vampire’s meals were kept alive and kicking after the fact. He didn’t kill, so he wasn’t a threat, and they left him be.

Jaemin liked his life as it was far too much anyway, even if he could be considered a hermit who played games all day.

That in mind, Jaemin let out a hum as he felt his fangs retract, laving his tongue over the puncture marks and ignoring the way the boy was rutting his hips against him. He kept at it until the taste of blood disappeared for the saltiness of sweat, pulling a bit back to examine the healed punctures, the skin red and aggravated and no doubt ready to blossom into a dark purple bruise. The human was still moaning against him, his hands having snuck in under Jaemin’s shirt and his nails scratching at his hips.

Jaemin wasn’t one to leave people unsatisfied usually, so he licked at his lips to catch an last remains of blood and pulled back to smile at the boy encouragingly, “go ahead, baby.”

The human whined, his hips stuttering, and Jaemin held back to the urge to laugh at him. He knew it was due to the venom, the aphrodisiac quality of it that ensured his meals were pliant and happy, but it always amused him how affected humans became.

Hands moving down to lightly grip at his ass, Jaemin pulled the boy firmly against him, dropping nipping kisses along his jawline. The human was pretty at least, and Jaemin wasn’t ashamed in the way he enjoyed having the boy rutting against him insistently until his muscles were locking up, his breath hitching, and Jaemin’s nose was twitching at the telltale smell of cum.

Smiling indulgently as the boy slumped against him tiredly, Jaemin nudged his nose against his temple, “if I get you an Uber would you be able to remember your address?”

“‘m broke, Ubers expensive,” he managed to mumble out, but that wasn’t a no. Jaemin kept asking until the boy managed to pull his thoughts in a hazy order, nodding at Jaemin’s insistent questioning. Smiling indulgently, because the human was _cute_ , Jaemin helped him back down the alleyway until they reached the front of the club. Pulling out the phone he had noticed in the boy’s back pocket earlier, Jaemin helped type out the address of the club before pulling out his wallet and sticking a couple bills into the boys hand.

Eyes wide in shock, the blond stared at him incredulously, “the fuck?”

“Another thank you, cutie. Just accept it and get home safe, alright?” Leaning forward, Jaemin dropped a teasing kiss on the tip of the taller boy’s nose when he nodded in acceptance before turning on his heel. He was always nice to the humans he fed on for several reasons. The first reason, and the easiest, was that it was just the right thing to do. The second was more self serving, a preventive measure for if they actually remembered him past the drunken haze he usually found them in. He didn’t want to risk them heading to the closest slayer they could find, so being nice and supplying them with a way home usually did the trick. At least, he hadn’t been cornered anywhere with a stake through his chest yet, so he hoped he was doing alright.

Humming under his breath happily, Jaemin reached up to pluck the sunglasses from his face and tucked them away into his jacket. He knew the red glow was gone, or at least fading, and the normal brown would be back. There was a tinge of red, always, but few humans really _looked_ for that telltale sign. The ones that _did_ were the ones that Jaemin avoided at all costs, because there was usually a stake hidden up their sleeve for whenever he dropped his guard.

Before he could move on to other thoughts - the most pressing of which was resupplying his stock of coffee - Jaemin heard...something.

There was a rustling, some low grumbling that didn’t exactly _sound_ human, and then a clacking of nails against cement.

Curiosity grabbed, Jaemin focused on his hearing for a moment before turning into an alley he was about to step past. There were more dumpsters here, the scent of decaying food from the restaurants they backed filling up the narrow opening and causing Jaemin’s nose to crinkle in distaste. Before the disgusting patchwork of smells could convince him to turn around, there was another sound of rustling. Louder now, and easily detectable, Jaemin trotted forward a few more steps, peering around curiously.

A yelp, a crash, and Jaemin was darting to the closest dumpster, leaning up on his tiptoes to see over the edge. There was a little door near his feet, but he wasn’t about to go and stick his head in the damned thing.

A whine caught his ears, and Jaemin frowned in concern, peering through the gloom easily and letting out a little gasp. All sounds stopped at that, the dog he was looking at freezing in place before whipping it’s head to meet his eyes. Jaemin stared back in surprise, because he knew what strays looked like. They were skinny, dirty, and eager to gobble up any bit of food they could find. Jaemin always bought them the closest meal he could find, because he _knew_ that type of hunger instinctively, pervasively, and any relief would tide them over for another hour.

This dog was different, though. Cleaner, sort of, for all the dirt and trash smudging the white fur gray. Bigger too, more muscled, and less of a starved hunger in its gaze. Recently abandoned then, and _why_ anyone would abandon such a beautiful samoyed sent Jaemin’s recently received blood boiling.

It was his favorite animal, reminding of a time when he was smaller, _human_ , and his parents had gifted him a little puppy that was his best friend until her time came.

He came back to his senses when the dog whined, ears pressed back and eyes darting down to the little door that Jaemin was standing in front of. Exit blocked, the dog was backing up into a corner of the dumpster and Jaemin hurriedly tried to calm himself down. Animal instincts were stronger, more trusted, and Jaemin always had a hell of a time making dogs trust him enough to accept his offered meals. This time was no different, and Jaemin immediately took a couple steps back, crouching down so that he could peer into the little door.

The dog stared back, only visible due to Jaemin’s enhanced vision, and Jaemin cooed, “I’m sorry baby. Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to. Are you hungry? I can get you something much better than this trash, I promise.”

Jaemin knew the dog didn’t understand, not really. The message was in the tone, the body language, and Jaemin tried his best to display as much friendliness as he could. He kept talking, voice more of a coo, and he didn’t know how much time passed before the dog hesitantly edged forward.

Head lowered, ears pinned back and tail low to the ground, Jaemin watched as the dog stepped out, never stopping in his encouraging words as he slowly held a hand out with his palm raised. The dog flinched, movements stilling, and watched Jaemin for any further movement.

Jaemin froze as best he could, still trying to display as unthreatening of an aura as he could, and watched in delight as the dog hesitantly sniffed at his fingertips. Another few moments, another slew of encouraging words, and the dog was licking at his palm. Giggling in delight, Jaemin cautiously moved his hand, keeping eye contact as he moved to scratch behind the dog’s ears. The dog froze yet again at the movement, wary, but then his tail hesitantly started wagging at the petting and Jaemin couldn’t resist cooing.

“How could _anyone_ leave you out on the streets, baby? You’re so cute,” Jaemin continued scratching, slowly moving his other hand up so that he could scritch under the dog’s chin.

Tongue lolling in delight, the dog’s tail wagged even harder, and Jaemin smiled widely. Another few pets and the dog was stepping forward, closer to Jaemin, and the vampire couldn’t help the instinctive need to cuddle against the fluffy dog. He looked too much like his old dog, his darling angel, and Jaemin could feel a phantom ache in his cold heart.

Pushing the feelings aside, Jaemin scritched encouragingly at the dog’s back despite noting how it had frozen at the affection. Leaning back on his heels, careful not to let any part of his clothing touch the nasty alley ground despite loving on a dog that had just been dumpster diving, Jaemin cupped the dog’s face in his hands, “are you hungry? How about we get you some food, huh? Kibbles? Yum yum?”

The dog whuffed at him, licking at its nose, and Jaemin smiled brightly, “atta boy. Wait, girl?”

Furrowing his eyebrows and leaning his head down to check for a moment, Jaemin straightened with another smile, “a good boy. Come on pup, let’s get you something to eat. There’s gotta be something open right now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been working on this for a couple weeks and uhhh we'll see how it goes? Hope you enjoyed, and here's my [twitter](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) and [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew)!
> 
> Also I shouldn't even have to say this but do NOT repost this anywhere! If you want to translate it, feel free to dm me on twitter 💚


	2. Chapter 2

Jaemin glanced around the lobby of his apartment building, eyes and ears straining for the security guard he knew patrolled the first couple of floors at night. They were friendly, as all residents came to be with the (hot) older man, but dogs weren’t exactly _allowed_ , not unless you had paid the outrageous fee that came with a pet. That’s why Jaemin had never got a dog before this, other than the fact that he had the unfortunate habit of holing up in his apartment for days at a time with no outside contact other than his multiplayer games.

He wouldn’t be able to do that anymore though, not if he kept the dog that was whining at his heels. Glancing down, Jaemin instantly broke at the begging eyes he was faced with, reaching into the little plastic bag he had gotten from the twenty-four hour convenience store. They had had an entire pack of hot dogs in their cold section, and Jaemin wasted no more time in opening the already half-empty package to pull out another.

Handing it down and cooing as the dog gently took it from his hand, Jaemin couldn’t resist scratching behind his fluffy ears even as the dog scarfed the food down.

Turning back to the lobby as he left the dog to lick up any bits he dropped, Jaemin took another quick glance around the lobby before turning to the dog and crouching onto his knees. The cement here was a lot cleaner than it had been in the alleyway, at least.

“Alright boy, you’re not gonna like this but I’m gonna pick you up. Can’t risk letting Minseok-hyung see you, okay? I’m not gonna hurt you,” the dog simply panted at him, tongue lolling and eyes stuck to the bag hanging from Jaemin’s wrist. Snorting at his clear priorities, Jaemin reached forward and easily hoisted the dog into his arms. Above average strength was a perk of the whole vampirism thing at least, because the dog was no means a puppy. Holding him like a child with his paws tucked over Jaemin’s shoulder probably wouldn’t be comfortable for most people.

It was cute though, and Jaemin smiled at the sight reflected in the lobby windows before opening the door and slipping inside. Speed walking to the elevators as the dog looked around curiously, Jaemin fervently wished Minseok wasn’t on one of the upper floors. He would make the pet payment tomorrow, sometime before he went to his supplier to stock up on blood bags, and get things settled then. For now, he had a dog to smuggle in and it would be in his best interests to not get caught.

Luck seemed to be on his side, because it was barely a minute later that the doors were opening to reveal the empty elevator. Letting out a sigh of relief, Jaemin hurriedly slipped in and started stabbing at the button to close the doors. It was only after they started sliding shut that he hit the button for the twelfth floor, thankful that anything past the fourth floor was rarely if ever patrolled by security.

Before he could start planning on when he would need to make his way down to the lobby tomorrow (later today, more like) in order to catch the landlord, the dog wriggled in his grasp. Frowning at the sharp claws stabbing at his stomach, Jaemin resigned himself to trying to get those clipped sometime soon. They didn’t exactly _hurt_ , but the faint twinge was a little annoying.

The dog was still wriggling though, trying to get down, and Jaemin reached up to scratch behind his ears with a coo, “I know, the elevator’s scary. I’m sorry, boy. Just a few more floors, okay? Then I’ll let you down.”

It somehow seemed to work, the dog settling with a huff, and Jaemin grinned smugly at his reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator. Before he could congratulate himself much further, there was a chime, the doors opening to an empty hallway.

Jaemin wasted no time, bypassing numerous doors before eventually coming to his apartment at the end. It was a bit annoying, but at least having one on the corner guaranteed him only one wall shared with a neighbor. The larger amount of windows was also a pain, but blackout curtains served wonders.

Typing in his keycode, Jaemin only had a second to step inside before the dog started wriggling in his grasp again. Snorting in amusement, Jaemin kicked the door closed and carefully moved the dog so that he could relatively gently drop him onto his feet. Almost immediately there was a clack of claws against the tile as the dogs priorities resurfaced, his big wet nose pressing against Jaemin's wrist and the bag hanging from it.

Laughing, Jaemin checked that the door was locked before removing his shoes and shuffling to the kitchen. Pulling out a plate, he quickly emptied out the few remaining hot dogs onto it before setting it on the floor. The dog, who had dutifully followed him, immediately started digging in.

"Careful. I want to clean up your puke as much as you want an empty stomach," Jaemin warned, as if the dog could really understand him.

Leaving the canine to its meal, Jaemin shucked off his black bomber on his way to the bathroom. Only pausing to retrieve his shades from the pocket, he wasted no more time in divesting himself of his shirt and pants. The dog needed a bath, desperately, and since his apartment only had a shower…

Well, it was better to close them both behind the glass door and get to work.

Dumping his clothes into the laundry basket and resigning himself to washing the amassed collection sometime soon, Jaemin turned to make his way back to the kitchen. The dog was already licking the plate clean, any mess meticulously consumed.

Laughing quietly, Jaemin clicked his tongue as he drew closer, watching as the dog's ears perked in interested. Turning his attention to where Jaemin approached, the vampire frowned as he noticed how still the dog grew, attention transfixed.

"Hey boy, you okay? I'm not gonna hurt you, you just really need a bath and you're probably going to hate me for a bit."

At the sound of the word ‘bath’ the dogs tail, previously wagging, slowed to a halt before tucking down. Ears following, the dog was already backing away, gaze darting away for a source of escape.

Jaemin wasn't stupid though, nor was he slow. Enhanced reflexes easily had him lunging forward, scooping the dog up into his arms. Immediately the samoyed was wriggling, growls rising, and Jaemin snorted as he quickly walked to the bathroom, "oh this is going to be just _great_."

The dog whined in response, trying to lunge for freedom one last time despite how futile it was. Jaemin would be amused, if he wasn’t so busy letting a stream of comforting words fall from his lips. He knew _some_ dogs liked water, but it was fairly obvious _this_ one was not a fan.

Though, the escape attempts soon stopped after Jaemin closed the shower door behind him, the dog slumping in his grasp in seeming defeat. Frowning, the vampire stroked down the dog’s spine in an attempt to soothe him. The dog just huffed, cold nose pressing against the skin under Jaemin’s ear as he turned his head in an attempt to hide. Jaemin gave his back a few more strokes before moving to set him down, attention turning to the shower handle.

The rush of icy water had the dog flinching, a whine tumbling out as he leaned his body against Jaemin’s shin despite the spray soaking them both. Jaemin wasn’t faring much better, even if his body constantly ran cooler than it had while he was still alive. The fresh blood wasn’t helping, rushing through him and giving him an artificial, borrowed warmth to his skin. At least it wasn’t long, the cool water fading away for a comforting warmth as Jaemin plucked his shampoo bottle from the shower caddy.

“Let’s try and make this as painless as possible, hmm?” Jaemin cooed, pulling the showerhead up off the handle and getting to work on soaking the dog’s thick fur.

For the most part he was calm, only shaking violently when Jaemin accidentally got water in his ears. Cooing out apologies, Jaemin replaced the showerhead and flipped the water off, instead popping the cap on his shampoo and dumping it up and down the dog’s spine. Dropping down onto his knees to get to work, Jaemin huffed in amusement when the dog immediately licked at his chin.

“Oh? Feeling better now? The bath isn’t too bad, huh.”

The dog seemed to huff, tongue lolling again as Jaemin scritched up and down the dog’s back, lathering up the shampoo and sighing in relief as the smell of garbage was overpowered.

It didn’t take long after that, even with Jaemin soaping up the dog twice (just to make _sure_ the smell was gone, because Jaemin’s nose was too sensitive to take chances). Another spray down to get rid of the suds and then Jaemin was cracking open the door, reaching past the glass to grab one of the towels he had hanging from the towel rack.

Throwing it over the dog's head, Jaemin laughed at the whine he got in response as he started scrubbing at the sodden fur. He didn’t know how the dog would react to his hairdryer, so he wasn’t even going to get it out. Plus, he was soaked himself now, so he might as well get a shower as well before he did anything else.

Once the dog was more damp than he was dripping, Jaemin opened the door to the shower and laid the towel out on the ground, pointing at it. The dog simply looked at him and Jaemin snorted, clicking his tongue encouragingly, “c’mon boy. Come lay down. I gotta get a shower too, and I doubt you want to join me.”

The dog simply stared at him for a moment before stepping forward, slumping down onto the towel and proceeding to lick at his paws.

Nodding in satisfaction, Jaemin scritched at his ears for a moment before reaching for the soaked boxers he still had on and stripping them off. Tossing them to the hamper that was starting to overflow with laundry, Jaemin stepped back into the shower without another look back at the dog.

* * *

Several hours later and wallet significantly lighter after going down and talking to his landlord, Jaemin was stepping back into the apartment with a handful of shopping bags hanging from his wrists.

Claws clicking at the granite tiles, Jaemin looked up just in time to see the dog rounding the black leather couch Jaemin had left him sleeping on. Tongue lolling, the dog wasted no time in sticking his nose straight into the plastic bags curiously.

Snorting in amusement, Jaemin stepped around him and moved to unload the groceries onto the kitchen countertop. He ignored the stack of dirty coffee cups he almost overbalanced, making a mental note to actually do the dishes later that night. For now, he focused on pulling out bags of coffee grounds and dog food, ignoring the dog pawing at his shin.

There wasn’t much to put away, more due to the fact that he could really only stomach coffee and really bloody meat without wanting to vomit than anything else. He _could_ cook actual food, he had worked as a chef a few decades ago, but since there wasn’t exactly anybody to feed it to there was no point in having the ingredients. Sure, he could make a full course meal for the dog, but even he could admit that was a little extra.

Speaking of food though, the dog was whining at him, front claws clicking against the marble counters. Jaemin immediately pushed at him, snorting at the huff the dog let out when he landed back on all fours, “sorry boy, but I’m not letting you on the counters. I’ll get you a bowl of food, chill out.”

The dog whuffed, ears perking, and Jaemin cooed down at him. A minute later he was dishing up some of the refrigerated dog food he had bought, not even caring at the price tag. He had the money, so he might as well spoil the dog considering it would have to deal with his vampiric shit from now on. He was still surprised the dog was being as friendly as it was, considering most animals cowered away from him. Sometimes it sucked being an apex predator, but most especially when puppies wouldn’t let him pet them.

This dog was different though, for some reason. He was pawing at his calf yet again, a whine tumbling out as Jaemin closed up the food, and the vampire could only smile at his antics.

“Okay, okay. Here you go,” Picking up the plate of food, Jaemin moved to set it down next to the bowl of water he had set down before leaving the apartment. The dog was immediately on it, hungry despite the entire pack of hotdogs Jaemin had given him hours earlier. Jaemin didn’t fault him for it, the dog was probably half-starved from living on the streets.

Resolving in giving him another plate of food later in the day, Jaemin moved to put the food in his fridge, wincing at the sight of the empty shelves. A few bottles of water were inside, along with a couple bottles of soju for when he wanted to really get fucked up. Blood and alcohol actually made a pretty mean combination, and he indulged in the concoction a bit too much given the way one of the bottles only had a few swallows left. Still, the lack of blood bags was the most concerning part of the empty shelves, and he let out a sigh as he pulled his phone out.

He and the dog had napped for a few hours after the shower, Jaemin not even protesting when the dog made a home for itself at the foot of his bed. Once he had woken up in the late morning Jaemin had run out to both talk to the landlord and go shopping, so it was luckily already the early afternoon.

Breathing out a sigh of relief and ignoring the miniscule itch already starting up at the back of his throat, Jaemin quickly pressed the call button. It took a minute, the dial tone repeating a worrying amount of times, and then a groggy voice was filling his ear.

“What the fuck do you want, leech?”

Jaemin instantly pouted, nails clicking against the countertop as he drummed his fingers against it, “you know that hurts.”

“You woke me up, shithead. What did you expect?”

“Uhh, for you to already be awake? It’s two in the afternoon, babe.”

“What?” The sound of shifting blankets and then, “ _fuck!_ ”

Wincing, Jaemin moved the phone away from his ear as the expletives kept coming, along with a few thuds that sounded as if he had fallen out of bed. After a few moments Jaemin hazarded to bring the phone back up to his ear, “Injunnie?”

“ _What?_ ”

“Are you okay?”

There was a beat of silence before Renjun was sighing into the speaker, “yeah. I had a potion brewing and I slept through the alarm I set. It’s good though, just need to put a couple extra moonflower petals to compensate and it should be fine. Why did you call?”

“I’m out of blood.”

“...are you fucking kidding me.”

Jaemin whined, chewing at his bottom lip with one of his fangs and ignoring the sting of pain, “I’m a dumbass, I know, but I’m really out. I had to go hunting last night because I didn’t even realize until I was hungry.”

“ _Jaemin_.”

“I know, I know. Can I come over?”

Renjun groaned, grumbling under his breath. Jaemin could pick up on the insults he was mumbling, but he let him have a moment of just insulting the vampire in peace. It was better than him saying it directly to Jaemin, after all. Once he collected himself, Renjun let out another sigh, “fine. Come whenever you can.”

“Um, there’s another thing.”

“What now, Jaemin?”

“I might have, possibly, potentially y’know...adopted a dog.” Jaemin winced in expectation, holding the phone away from his ear.

Predictably, Renjun was ready with an insult on his tongue, “you can’t even take care of yourself!”

“I found him dumpster diving Injun! I wasn’t just going to _leave_ him there. Plus he likes me! You _know_ how rare that is with a dog.”

Huffing, Renjun begrudgingly agreed with him, “fine. Do you want to bring him too?”

“Can I? I don’t want to leave him alone for longer than an hour yet, not until I know how he acts inside, anyway. He hasn’t peed on anything yet, at least.”

The dog looked up at that, turning his head to seemingly glare at Jaemin before licking at his chops and stepping away from the plate he had licked clean. Tail flicking, the dog turned on his heel and pranced back to the living room to jump up and lay on the couch cushions.

“If he eats any of my ingredients, I’m turning him into a cat,” Renjun threatened.

“Aw, he’d probably make a cute cat though.”

Renjun sneered, “you disgust me.”

“I love you too, Injunnie,” Jaemin cooed before adopting a more serious tone, “I’ll keep an eye on him. Give me like thirty minutes?”

“Yeah, whatever. Bye.”

Huffing at the rude dismissal, Jaemin pouted down at his phone screen and the ‘Call Ended’ that shined at him. Shaking it off and stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Jaemin snatched up to the collar and leash he had left packaged on the counter.

“C’mere boy!” Jaemin called, before pursing his lips for a quick whistle.

The dog’s head peeked up over the couch, brown eyes shining with curiosity as Jaemin let a grin split his lips and shook the two items in his hand, “we’re gonna go somewhere fun.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please note the added tags before you read!

Forty minutes later, because Jaemin underestimated how often the dog would insist they stop so that he could sniff at things, he was knocking on Renjun’s apartment door. The red brick building was tiny in comparison to his own, only three floors worth of apartments compared to the twenty his own held. It worked for Renjun though, and he even had a balcony for his plants to thrive on. The most annoying aspect was the elevator that only worked a quarter of the time, but at least he only lived on the second floor and the dog knew how to climb stairs.

As soon as Renjun opened the door his gaze dropped down to meet big brown eyes as he pressed his lips into a thin line, “a dog, huh?”

Jaemin smiled brightly, not even minding the lack of a proper greeting,  “a dog! Isn’t he cute?”

Renjun hesitated for a moment, still competing in a staredown match as the dog panted up at him, before he lifted his head up to frown at Jaemin’s shining expression with distaste, “...sure.”

There a was a beat of silence, the vampire rocking back and forth on his heels with his hands stuffed in his pockets, the dog’s leash wrapped around his wrist. Renjun stared back, gaze stoic, and Jaemin snorted in amusement, tilting his head, “can I come in?”

“You know you don’t need permission,” Renjun sighed, stepping back so that they could enter.

Jaemin scoffed, shooting him a look over his shoulder, “you’d burn me to a crisp.”

Renjun simply shrugged, not denying the accusation.

The dogs nails immediately started clicking at the hardwood, only held back from darting forward to sniff at all the potted plants by the leash Jaemin had clipped onto his collar. Both were pink, with little black hearts patterned down the middle, because Jaemin had found them cute and didn’t hesitate despite knowing the gender of the dog. It had caused a bit of a tiff before they left the apartment, the dog trying to escape from his hold as he wrangled the collar onto him.

He accepted it after a while though, and now he just shot Jaemin a betrayed look before sitting at his feet, nose high as he sniffed at the air.

“What’s his name?” Renjun questioned, reluctantly offered his hand for the dog to sniff when the dog looked at him imploringly.

Jaemin watched fondly as the dog’s nose touched against the birth mark on the back of Renjun’s hand, “I don’t know? I’ve just been calling him dog for now. Or a good boy. I only found him early this morning.”

Renjun scoffed, rolling his eyes as he patted the dogs head, who immediately whuffed in delight, “you’re hopeless.”

Jaemin pouted, “you name him then.”

The mage stared at him in disbelief, “he’s your dog though?”

“I’ll just end up calling him Riceball or something, you know.”

The dog’s ears flicked back, staring up at Jaemin in apparent disgust, perfectly mirroring the grimace that crossed over Renjun’s face, “okay, no. I’ll name him.”

Smiling brightly, Jaemin darted forward to lay a quick kiss on Renjun’s cheek before the mage could realize, “that’s the spirit, Injunnie! Now, do you have any blood packs laying around?”

The vampire was already stepping around him, walking over to the kitchen with the dog quickly following at his heels. He ducked under a low hanging bit of ivy, the blossoming flowers decorating it glowing an ominously vivid purple, before opening the fridge. Frowning at the contents - food, mostly, along with a bit of juice and a curiously wiggling mass of goo locked in a jar - Jaemin sighed at the lack of blood.

The mage was still spluttering, ignoring Jaemin’s question as he quickly rubbed at his flushing cheek, “Jaemin!”

“Hmm?”

“What have I told you about- about doing that!”

“That I’m gross and we’re not boyfriends,” Jaemin repeated dutifully, lips pursed in a pout as he turned to look at the mage pitifully. The dog barked at his heel, instantly distracting him from the glare Renjun was sending his way. Looking down at him curiously, Jaemin tilted his head, “what is it boy?”

“Jeno.”

Both of them immediately looked back at the mage, the dog stiffening at the intent look Renjun was shooting the canine. Jaemin frowned in confusion, “huh?”

“His name. It’s Jeno,” Renjun explained, waving his hand at the samoyed.

“That’s a weird name for a dog.”

Renjun huffed in amusement, a curious smile twitching at his lips as his eyes met Jaemin’s, “I think it fits him.”

The dog was still staring at Renjun, frozen stiff, and Jaemin frowned down at the dog in confusion before shrugging it off. Animals acted oddly around Renjun just as often as they avoided Jaemin like the plague, so there was no telling what was going on there. For all he knew, Renjun had just telepathically communicated with the canine. Instead of questioning it, he dropped down to his knees, cupping the sides of the dog’s head with a coo, “Jeno, huh? Is that your name? What a good boy.”

The dog immediately unfroze, gaze focusing on Jaemin and whuffing softly as his tail started wagging. The vampire smiled widely, rubbing his nose against the dog’s cold one as he continued cooing. It was really unfair how cute the dog was, really.

“You’re disgusting,” Renjun sighed, crossing his arms as he leaned against the kitchen island.

“Actually, I’m hungry,” Jaemin corrected, sheepishly looking up to meet Renjun’s gaze. The burning feeling at the back of his throat had increased, and he knew his brown eyes had taken on a reddish hue. It wouldn’t be long before they were completely red, and Jaemin only had himself to blame. He was used to three packs of blood a day, and he had barely taken the equivalent of one from that boy in the alley.

Renjun scowled at the reminder, disapproval crossing his pretty features, “Jaemin…”

The vampire winced, waving a hand at him as the other scritched behind the dog’s ears, “I know, Injunnie. It’s my own fault for not noticing. Did you message You-Know-Who?”

The mage snorted, straightening from his relaxed slouch and stepping around Jaemin to open one of the kitchen cabinets, “he’s not Voldemort, Jaemin.”

“He might as well be,” Jaemin muttered under his breath, pushing himself to his feet as he watched the shorter man struggle to reach the top cabinet, “do you need help?”

Renjun shot him a scathing look, a purple glow from his fingertips the only warning before he was flicking a hand up at the cabinet. The vial he had been attempting to reach instantly started floating, bringing itself down to the mage’s eye level. Snatching it out of the air, Renjun continued glaring at Jaemin as he spitefully uncapped it, “keep your long ass legs over there, leech.”

“That hurts, Injunnie. Right here.” Jaemin whined at him, tapping pointedly above his silent heart.

Renjun leveled him with a flat look, swirling the crystal blue liquid in his grasp before throwing it back with a grimace, “I know it’s hard, but try not to be a little shit. We both know your heart hasn’t beat in centuries.”

“ _A_ century, Injun. _One_!”

“Oh I’m so sorry,” Renjun apologized mockingly, swiping the back of his hand over his lips before gently placing the empty vial in the sink, “I know how sensitive old people are about their age.”

Jaemin scowled at him, turning on his heel pointedly as he dropped Jeno’s leash and walked away. Renjun laughed at his back, knowing he wouldn’t go far.

Jaemin didn’t, considering there wasn’t much area to actually move to. The apartment was overcrowded with plants of all sizes and origins, ranging from the common dandelions one can find on the sidewalk to the dozens of flowering youtan poluo Jaemin had gifted the mage. They was a shimmering bubble of magic around them and the plant they were feeding on, keeping them protected and isolated from the other plants in the apartment. Jaemin’s glare instantly softened at the sight of the flowers and the memories that came forth at the sight of them, letting out a sigh. Stepping around the coffee table covered in spellbooks, he flopped onto the comfy couch Renjun had pushed into the corner of the living room.

There was no television, all electronics kept to Renjun’s bedroom. It was the only place that he didn’t pack full with plants, choosing to have that one section of space removed from the greenhouse he had turned his apartment into. It was the cost of being a potioneer, along with having to turn his spare bedroom into a brewing center. Even with the doors closed and the wards itching at Jaemin’s senses he could still smell the potions Renjun had simmering.

Turning to the only sight that could entertain him - though an argument could be made for the venus fly traps that were snapping at each other - Jaemin pouted in the direction of the kitchen. Renjun was staring back at him flatly, leaning against the island once again as Jeno sat at his feet with his tongue lolling happily, tail beating against the floor.

“Injunnie,” he whined, pitching his voice up cutely, “I’m hungry.”

The mage grimaced at him despite the way he straightened and started walking over, “you’re always hungry.”

“Drawbacks of the modern world, babe. I can’t just go out and drain people dry anymore,” Jaemin pointed out sensibly.

“We both know that you easily _could_ , and also that you’ve never actually done so.”

Jaemin frowned, tilting his head back to look up at Renjun as the mage stopped on the other side of the coffee table, “you don’t know my life. Fledglings are wild creatures. I totally could’ve.”

“But you haven’t,” Renjun said knowingly. Gazing at him fondly, Jaemin wondered how much pain the mage would inflict upon him if he squished his cheeks. He just had the urge to squeeze him and _coo_ , because Renjun’s complete belief in him was adorable. Jaemin wasn’t the shining example of an upstanding vampire, and they both knew it. Despite that, Renjun believed in him, in the fact that he wasn’t a complete scumbag.

Better not to try his chances with blatant affection though, so Jaemin shoved down all the squishy feelings burgeoning at his frozen heart and turned to what he knew best.

Patting his lap with a salacious smile, Jaemin wiggled his eyebrows up at the mage, “c'mere Injunnie.”

Grimacing, Renjun stepped around the coffee table and smacked at Jaemin’s spread legs before looping his arms around the vampire’s shoulders and shifting into place. It was a common position for them, mostly because Renjun had no desire to be pinned underneath anybody, let alone Jaemin.

Jaemin wasn’t complaining, not with the way he immediately had a grip on Renjun’s hips and carefully tugged him into a more comfortable position as he settled down, “good?”

“Mhmm.”

“That potion earlier was a blood replenisher, right?”

“So you _do_ pay attention,” Renjun said in mock surprise. Jaemin clicked his tongue, nudging his nose against Renjun’s temple with a grumble before ducking his head.

Jaemin’s lips were quick to make their way to Renjun’s neck, little open mouth kisses at his jaw before trailing down to where his jugular pulsed. Humming in approval as Renjun shivered against him, Jaemin darted his tongue out to lick against the thundering vein, “can I?”

“You know you can,” Renjun sighed, an echo of earlier, thin fingers gently shifting through the hair at Jaemin’s nape before tugging pointedly.

Grumbling at the faint echoes of pain, Jaemin traced the tips of his fangs against Renjun’s skin, “I just want your permission, baby. You could fry me without hesitation.”

“Call me that again and I actually will.”

“Fine, fine. Sorry about the sting,” Before Renjun could finish rolling his eyes or remind the vampire about his own numbing venom, Jaemin was already biting down as gently as he could while still piercing through Renjun’s skin. He knew it stung, as always, and Renjun had still never told Jaemin about how much he enjoyed that bit of pain before the rush the venom caused took over but the way the mage moaned and went pliant in his grasp spoke volumes.

Jaemin moaned, hips stuttering as the taste of Renjun's blood hit his tongue, ignoring the nails digging at his shoulders as he ran a hand up the back of Renjun’s shirt. The mage already had the best tasting blood there was, but the magic lacing through it was always an experience, and Jaemin hoped he would never grow accustomed to the sparks dancing over his taste buds.

Renjun laughed at him, because he was an asshole like that. Jaemin huffed, hands moving to pull the mage closer until his plush little ass was pressed against where Jaemin’s hips were starting to rut forward in a futile pursuit of pleasure as he let himself fall further into the sensations. He could control himself around humans no problem, but those with magic running through their veins was different, electrifying, and he was just as much a slave to it as they were to his venom.

Renjun let out a cut off little whimper, thin fingers moving up to grip tightly at Jaemin's hair as the vampire sucked firmer, harsher, his hips following quickly now that he had solid pressure to press up against.

Letting out a little whine, Renjun's head tilted to the side in accommodation, eyelids fluttering at the pleasure coursing through his veins. He knew the mage could easily stop it, his magic was at his beck and call at all times, easily sliding beneath his skin, but he knew this was good. _Jaemin_ was good, he always made sure it was as enjoyable for them both as it could be.

That in mind, Jaemin's hand sneaked under the loose pants Renjun had been lazing around in, not even noticing as Renjun was distracted by a whimper that originated on the other side of the living room. Lashes fluttering open, the mage stared uncomprehendingly for a moment before realizing just what, or who, had made the noise.

It was the dog Jaemin had brought over, Jeno, who had moved from the kitchen to curl up under the small dining table despite how big of a dog he actually was. Those big brown eyes were staring at the both of them, entranced, and Renjun couldn't resist the teasing little smirk he shot the canine. He knew the truth, after all, and he would get as much amusement out of this until the shit hit the fan.

That in mind, he pushed the watchful eyes to a tiny corner of his mind and instead focused on the perfect grip Jaemin had around him. The way the vampire stroked with every roll of his hips, his hardness dragging between Renjun's cheeks and little mewls muffled against his neck. Jaemin wasn't even feeding by this point, laving at the punctures instead and waiting for his saliva to heal. He left little nibbles in his wake when he dubbed the bite healed and decided to kiss along the mage’s neck yet again, shuddering beneath Renjun and whining whenever he tugged at Jaemin’s hair.

Renjun knew what he was doing to the vampire, could no doubt feel it in the shudder that shot through him when he ground down as Jaemin lifted his hips. A moan tumbled out of his lips, rough and low in contrast to Renjun's own breathy whimper.

"Jaemin-" Renjun breathed, as the grip he had around his shoulders shifted, tightened, nails dragging up Jaemin’s back as the vampire’s free hand found its way to his ass and squeezed.

"Yeah, babe?"

Crinkling his nose at the term of endearment, Renjun nudged his chin against Jaemin's temple. It took a moment for the message to get across, but then the vampire was pulling his head up, bleary red eyes taking a moment to meet Renjun's amused gaze. There was a streak of blood on the corner of his lip and Renjun wasted no time in leaning forward to lick it up, humming at the startled gasp Jaemin's breathed against his cheek.

Slotting their lips together, Renjun pointedly ground down again, harsher, rougher, a commanding, "don't stop," breathed between them before Renjun was licking at Jaemin's exposed fangs.

Jaemin _moaned_ , grip tightening around Renjun’s dick as his thumb rubbed under the head. Renjun shuddered, heat itching at his tummy and his magic thrumming under his skin. He sucked pointedly at Jaemin’s lip, hips jerking forward as a gasp tumbled down between them. Then Jaemin’s hand on his ass shifted, slipping down the back of his pants instead of squeezing over the fabric. One harsh squeeze, with his nails a biting bit of pressure, and then Jaemin was grazing against his hole. It was barely a graze, just the pads of his fingertips and the slightest bit of pressure, but it had a whimper rattling out of Renjun, his head tipping back in pleasure.

Jaemin wasted no time in putting his mouth back on his neck, because he was predictable like that, but it just took another nipping bite, a pointed suck, and more firm pressure against his rim for Renjun to lose it. Staining the inside of his joggers and scratching at Jaemin’s shoulders, Renjun let his head loll to the side, vision blurry as he lost himself in the pleasure.

Jaemin was still rutting against him when he came back to it, kisses gentle and fangs retracted, and he had even moved his hands up to latch at his waist like the gentleman he tried so hard to be. The way he dragged his dick against him was anything but gentle, as rough and needy as the whines he was muffling against Renjun’s skin, and it had Renjun laughing quietly.

“ _Renjun_ ,” Jaemin grumbled, pulling back to shoot him a wounded look.

Renjun rolled his eyes, cupping the vampire’s cheeks as he leant forward to engage in a filthy kiss, “chill, I’ve got you.”

Jaemin just whined in response, squirming under him, and Renjun tilted his own head down. His teeth weren’t like Jaemin’s, obviously, and there was no way he could puncture his skin like the vampire had done so easily. That didn’t mean he couldn’t _bite_ , though. The way Jaemin jolted under him was evident of that, the way he went pliant a second later and tilted his head aside as Renjun laved his tongue against the bite. Hickeys were unrealistic between them, Jaemin’s lack of proper blood flow and Renjun’s magic-gifted recovery speed making it a futile effort. The method of making them was still enjoyable though, so Renjun didn’t waste time in biting down once again.

Jaemin moaned, hips rutting up immediately when Renjun moved his hand down, palming at his dick as best he could despite the jeans Jaemin regretting wearing. It was quick after that, barely a minute passing before he was quivering under the mage, his grip on Renjun’s hips bruising. The mage hummed encouragingly, stroking his fingers through the mess he had made of the vampire’s hair and lightly pecking at his lips, a shit-eating grin making its way across his face as he quietly murmured, “that’s it. What a good boy.”

The resounding _whap!_ was as quick as it was startling, Renjun jolting forward with a bitten down whimper, eyelashes fluttering. A beat of silence, and then Renjun was pulling back, staring down into Jaemin’s lazy red eyes murderously, “did you just _spank_ me?”

Jaemin grinned roguishly, “yeah.”

“I’m going to _kill_ you.”

“You were into it though?” Raising an eyebrow, Jaemin kept their gazes locked as his hand came down once again, lighter than before but still overwhelming, and Renjun jolted at the sensation. Trying his damnedest to keep his eyes from fluttering shut, the mage snarled and started struggling.

“Let me go!”

Jaemin laughed, the arm he had tucked around the mage’s waist after pulling his hand out of Renjun’s pants falling away. Renjun was quick to hop off of his lap, grimacing at the mess he had made of his underwear, and glared down at the vampire. Jaemin wasn’t paying attention though, gaze trained on the hand he had been jacking Renjun off with. It was still dirty, cum sticking at his fingers because he knew better than to wipe it off on Renjun’s (already ruined) clothing.

Considering his fingers for another moment, Jaemin darted his eyes up to Renjun’s burning gaze before popping them into his mouth.

The mage gaped at him, cheeks flooding with heat, and Jaemin cheekily winked at him as he drew his fingers out of his mouth with a lewd _pop_ , “I thought you were gonna kill me?”

Straightening abruptly, Renjun turned on his heel with a huff, “eat shit, leech.”

Jaemin watched as he walked away, licking idly at the cum on his palm as he lets his gaze trail from the mage’s blond hair to where his bare feet padded against the hardwood. Jaemin was just letting his eyes rest on Renjun’s ass yet again when the mage turned the corner into the bathroom, the door slamming in his wake.

Leaning back against the couch with a laugh, Jaemin swiped his spit-coated hand against the leg of his jeans. Shifting uncomfortably at his own cum drying in his underwear, Jaemin’s ears perked as nails clicked against the hardwood. That’s when he remembered that the dog, _Jeno_ , had been in the room the enter time and Jaemin could feel his newly acquired blood rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment.

Darting to his feet, Jaemin quickly moved to where the dog was climbing out from under the dining table, apologies tumbling from his lips. Jeno’s ears fell back at his approach, brown eyes pitiful and an instant stake through Jaemin’s heart.

“ _Baby_ , I’m so sorry you saw that. I should’ve brought Injun to his room, huh? I’m sorry,” Jaemin cupped the dogs face in his hands, cooing down at him. The dog whuffed, tongue swiping out to quickly lick at Jaemin’s nose and send him into a fit of giggles, “ahh, you’re so cute.”

“He’s also a voyeur,” Renjun stated, expression mullish as he rounded the corner and looked down at the dog. Jaemin looked up at him in confusion, eyebrows furrowed, and Renjun just stared at him in disappointment for a moment before sighing, “Didn’t you once brag about how you can smell _everything_? And yet you can’t even smell a shifter under your nose. Dumbass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finished this last night and then woke up this morning to find out that we were blessed with blond jeno, so i'm taking it as a sign that i'm doing a good job

Jaemin spluttered, stepping back immediately as he dropped his hands from the dog’s - shifter’s? - face. Eyes closed in concentration, Jaemin sniffed at the air in consideration, ignoring the overpowering smell of plants, the potions in the next room and his own cum drying in his pants. He focused all of his attention on the dog, ignoring anything else trying to grab his attention.

Jeno smelled like a normal dog, like Jaemin’s shampoo, and the telltale scent of distress which was already a sign that he could understand them. Beneath it all though, Jaemin finally detected what he had been missing, no doubt covered up by the scent of garbage when he had first stumbled upon him.

Opening his eyes, Jaemin scowled down at the adorable dog, “well, shit.”

“Dumbass,” Renjun repeated, snorting at the pout Jaemin shot his way.

The dog whined, grabbing both of their attentions. He had laid down, his paws crossed over his nose as he closed his eyes. Both of them laughed for a short moment, before Renjun was gently nudging at the dog’s side with his barefoot, “alright Jeno, change back.”

The dog whined, louder and longer, before removing his paws and staring up at them miserably. They matched his gaze, expressions unyielding, and Jeno huffed before pushing himself to his feet. Then there was a shimmer throughout his fluffy fur, Jaemin wincing at the brightness as the smell of magic consumed them.

Then there was boy in front of them, height equal with Jaemin, and he was _hot_. Oh no.

Exchanging a glance with Renjun, Jaemin let his eyes dart back to the shifter, drifting from the messy white hair on his head (cute), the black browline glasses hiding his brown eyes (hot), and the matching black hoodie and black joggers clinging to his legs (comfortable, but also _hot_ ). He didn’t have any shoes on, which was odd, but then again it wasn’t like he needed shoes if he was spending all his time as a dog. The most attention grabbing of his outfit though was the pink collar Jaemin had bought only hours earlier, sitting pretty against the pale skin of Jeno’s neck. Oh, he was _so_ fucked.

“Well,” Renjun started, gaining their attention, “I guess it’s nice to meet you officially?”

Jeno blushed, pretty fingers (Jaemin wanted to lick them) reaching up to tug at his messy hair, “I’m, uh. Yeah. You too, Injun. Jaemin, I’m really sorry about this.”

Jaemin blinked, drawing his attention away from where Jeno’s thin lips (he wanted to bite them) were sending him a sheepish smile. Meeting Jeno’s eyes, the vampire smiled nonchalantly as if he wasn’t restraining wildly inappropriate thoughts for a boy he just met, “I mean. Sorry you saw me and Injunnie fuck without your consent.”

Immediately both of them were spluttering, Renjun’s fist landing solidly against Jaemin’s stomach as Jeno’s face flamed in embarrassment.

“We didn’t even fuck!”

“I’d argue that hand jobs can count under sex, Injun.”

“You-”

“It’s fine!” Jeno interjected, cutting off the oncoming argument, hands raised in surrender, “I’m sorry you thought I was just a dog!”

Jaemin paused, tearing his eyes away from Jeno’s hands (he had so many _ideas_ ) and biting at his lip, “I mean. Why were you pretending to be one anyway? You could’ve changed back at my apartment. Also, why were you dumpster diving?”

Jeno pouted, opening his mouth to answer, but before he could he was interrupted by his stomach grumbling loudly. All three of them paused, looking down at the hoodie covered area as Jeno rubbed at it sheepishly, shoulders slumping down in an attempt to make him appear smaller, “ah. Well. You fed me?”

Jaemin stared, “are you broke or something?”

“Maybe?” Jeno’s voice went high, anxiousness seeping from him in waves, “I was behind on rent and then my landlord kicked me out because he saw all the dog stuff around my apartment and dogs are banned but I’m a _canine shifter_ , okay? Sometimes I just want to be in my dog form and play with a chew toy or-”

“Okay, stop,” Renjun interrupted, because Jeno had yet to take a breath since he started ranting. The shifter immediately obeyed, a pout forming on his pretty ( _fuck_ , everything about him was so pretty) mouth as he focused all of his attention on the mage, “let’s get you some food first, okay? Then you can explain, _calmly_ , and I won’t feel like I’m about to pass out.”

Jaemin froze at the words, eyes widening, before he was instantly moving, hands fluttering around Renjun’s exasperated face as he eyed the healed bite marks, “shit, did I take too much? It was probably two bags worth, of course it was too much. You took the potion though? Wait, aren’t you supposed to take it with a meal? _Injun_ -”

Renjun slapped at his hands, magic sparking dangerously at his fingertips, “ _hey_ , calm down. I’m fine, we’ve done this before.”

“Yeah, but it’s been awhile! Oh fuck, sit down, I’ll make you something.”

“Aren’t you a vampire?” Jeno questioned in confusion, watching curiously as Jaemin manhandled the mage into one of the chairs at the dining table. Renjun protested the entire time, like he always did when he had someone caring for him.

Jaemin sent him an odd look, “yeah? You literally saw me drink his blood.”

“You know how to _cook_?” Jeno continued, cheeks flushing at the reminder of what had just transpired on Renjun’s couch, an explanation and a question all in one.

“The leech worked at some big name restaurant in France a couple centuries back, he knows how to cook. If you damage my plants though-”

Jaemin waved him off, ignoring the glare he got in response when he interrupted, “yeah, yeah, you’ll kill me. I know the drill, babe.”

“You’re exhausting.”

Jaemin smiled at him, sending an air kiss his way and ignoring the way Renjun’s swatted it out of the air because he was petty like that. Turning his attention to his new companion, Jaemin tried to swallow back the thirst (sexual, not bloody, though he wouldn’t be opposed...) that raged every time he looked at Jeno’s pretty face, “I’ll make you a plate, too. Sit with Renjun.”

“I can help-” Jeno tried to protest, but Jaemin was already pushing him into a seat next to the mage, a frown on his lips.

“Nope! Sit. Be a good boy.”

Jeno’s mouth instantly snapped closed, a blush sitting on his cheeks, and wasn’t that interesting? Jaemin stared at him for a moment, a shit-eating grin itching at his lips, “oh?”

Renjun swatted at his hip in reprimand, even as his own eyes stayed stuck on where Jeno was wringing his hands together nervously, “I’m hungry, Jaemin.”

Snapping back into focus, Jaemin nodded and turned to the kitchen, “right. Do you think you can do your magic thing and defrost some meat for me?”

“‘ _Magic thing_ ’, he says,” Renjun echoed, scoffing quietly under his breath before nodding, “yeah, I’m pretty sure there’s some chicken in the freezer.”

Humming in consideration, Jaemin opened the fridge door to dig around for a moment before pulling out the chicken breast to set on the counter. Leaving Renjun to do his hocus pocus shit, the vampire searched through a few of the cabinets, with only vague memories of where things should be. Renjun didn’t let him cook for him that often, only ever acquiescing after Jaemin drained him of too much blood and he was too dizzy to cook for himself. He still didn’t know _why_ , Jaemin was a good ass cook, but he would leave the mage to his decisions.

Finding the ingredients he needed, Jaemin collected them on the island counter before turning his search for pots and pans and a cutting board that wasn’t glowing with magical residue. Renjun had started engaging in small talk, telling Jeno that his actual name was Huang Renjun and that he worked as a potioneer for several magic shops within the city.

Jeno responded eagerly despite the nervousness still clinging to his very being, thankful for the distraction even as his eyes kept glancing to where Jaemin was pouring some noodles into a pot. The shifter had just completed his third year as a veterinary student, but his scholarships had dropped him despite the good grades he was holding due to lack of funding. It left him broke, since his part-time job at a coffee shop near his apartment had let him go due to the slow summer season. He had had enough in savings for food money, but he had fallen behind in his rent payments as he struggled to land another job that could pay well.

Truly, it was a shitty situation all around, only compounded after his landlord had finally stopped in on a surprise visit to talk about the rent and found evidence of a dog living with him. Apparently the man was an asshole, because that’s all he needed to go forward in getting Jeno evicted.

“So, yeah,” Jeno summarized miserably, “I have all my stuff in a storage locker downtown now.”

“So you’ve been living on the streets?” Renjun questioned softly, face pinched at the sob story Jeno had unloaded on them both. Jaemin wasn’t faring much better, his heart panging for the shifter as he turned the stove off and started dishing up two plates.

Jaemin frowned, watching Jeno nod as he set the plates in front of them both, pulling out another chair to sit in as both Jeno and Renjun immediately started digging in, “you don’t have any friends you could’ve stayed with?”

Jeno looked up, slurping noodles into his mouth and chewing before he spoke, “I mean, Jisung was living in the college dorms at the time, so he didn’t have any room. He treated me out for food sometimes, but I always felt bad since he’s a broke college kid too, on top of being two years younger than me. Plus he’s moved back to his parent’s house for the summer now, so it’s been a few weeks since I’ve seen him in person. As for Mark…,”

Both Jaemin and Renjun looked at him when Jeno trailed off, analyzing the pinched look on his face before Renjun questioned softly, “Mark?”

Jeno shifted uncomfortably, taking another bite of pasta before speaking, “he lives in Canada now.”

That wasn’t the only reason, and both of them knew it. They weren’t close enough to Jeno to pry though, so they took the answer for what it was and changed the subject. Exchanging a look, Jaemin turned away from the mage with a smile, “you could stay with me if you want?”

Jeno jerked, his head darting up to gape at the vampire, “what?”

“I mean, I already bought shit for a dog,” Jaemin pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned back comfortably, “and you saw my apartment, it’s big enough for two.”

“I still can’t believe you turned your second bedroom into a gaming room, nerd,” Renjun muttered, knife in hand as he cut into his chicken.

“It’s an _office_ , Injun. I’m a programmer!”

“You’ve played Breath of the Wild for like two hundred hours.”

Jaemin paused, tilting his head as he squinted at Renjun before grinning, “have you been looking at my Nintendo profile?”

Renjun ignored him, “I bought you that game _two weeks ago_!”

“And I’m still so touched,” Jaemin pressed a hand over his still heart, grin widening, “it’s a beautiful game.”

“Have you even left your apartment since I visited?” Renjun paused, glancing at the third person at the table, “Before yesterday, anyway.”

Jaemin looked away, running a hand through his hair sheepishly and ignoring the entertained look Jeno was shooting them both, “there’s a reason I ran out of blood, babe.”

“I _hate_ you.”

“Love you too,” Jaemin shot back immediately, smiling charmingly at the death glare he earned in response.

Jeno snorted at the both of them, his fork scraping at his plate as all but licked it clean (Jaemin honestly wouldn’t be surprised if he did), “are you two always like this?”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Jaemin shot Renjun a betrayed look, going through the actions of grasping his imaginary pearls as Renjun rolled his eyes. Jeno was laughing at them, pulling their attention away from each other to instead look at the pretty boy that had fallen into their laps. Almost literally in Jaemin’s case, because Jeno-the-dog had spent a good half an hour demanding belly rubs after they had both woken up.

Turning his attention back to before he and Renjun had derailed the conversation, Jaemin reached across the table to pick up one Jeno’s left hand. The shifter’s laughter instantly ceased, confusion crossing his face as he looked down at where Jaemin was rubbing his thumb against a mole on one of his fingers, “Jaemin?”

“I was serious, you know. You can stay at my apartment.”

Jeno blushed, which was adorable, and started waving his free hand in protest. He was trying to free his other hand in the process, but Jaemin didn’t easily let go of warmth when he had it and Jeno was a _furnace_ , “you don’t have to do that! You don’t even know who I am!”

Jaemin tilted his head, smiling in a way he knew was cute, “you’re Lee Jeno, a third year vet student who’s had some bad luck and lost his apartment because of an asshole human. What more do I need to know?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe that I’m not a _murderer_?” Jeno shot back sarcastically, finally retrieving his hand when Jaemin loosened his grip.

Renjun snorted, “he literally wouldn’t care if you were one.”

Jeno looked _scandalized_ , and Jaemin dissolved into amused cackles, half-heartedly covering his mouth with one of his hands. Once he had a handle on himself, Jaemin waved a hand at the mage, nodding in agreement, “he’s right. I wouldn’t have lived with my sire as long as I did if I was totally against it.”

“Sire?” Renjun and Jeno echoed in unison. Jeno was simply curious, but the vampire knew Renjun was just itching with unanswered questions. His sire wasn’t someone he talked about often, after all. It was just safer that way, not that the mage knew it. Renjun just hated not knowing things, so he constantly was hoarding the little scraps of information Jaemin revealed in an effort to solve the mystery.

Jaemin hummed, deflecting as he pointed one of his fingers at Jeno’s neck, “yup. Hey, Jeno, why did the collar shift with you?”

Jeno frowned in confusion, lifting a hand up to prod at his neck before descending into a blushing mess, “oh my god.”

Eyebrows quirking, Jaemin leaned forward in interest and ignored the insistent glare Renjun had trained on the side of his head, “what is it?”

“I forgot I was wearing it,” Jeno whined, covering his face in embarrassment, “I have to focus when I change forms or my clothes will shift with me. I’ve torn so many shirts…”

Jaemin waved a hand nonchalantly, eyes trained on the collar. Jeno looked _so_ pretty wearing it, no matter if he was an adorably fluffy dog or an adorably blushing human, “don’t worry, I’ll let you borrow my clothes if you tear any more.”

Jeno shot him a glare, his thicker bottom lip pursing out in a pout, “I’m not staying with you.”

“Why?”

“We just met!”

“You’ve literally seen me cum.”

Jeno spluttered, hands waving dramatically as his face flushed once again in incredulous embarrassment, “stop bringing it up!”

Jaemin smirked, leaning even closer over the top of the table, “why? Did you not like what you saw?”

“Jaemin,” Renjun interrupted, finally swallowing down the last bite of his meal and shooting him a warning look. The vampire instantly backed down, pouting over at the mage, but withholding further comments at the withering look he was greeted with, “stop being a shithead.”

“That’s my standard setting, but alright. Jeno, don’t make me waste my money on all the dog stuff I already bought. I already put a deposit down for having a pet,” he pleaded, expression shifting back into a scarily convincing pout.

The shifter stared at him for a few long moments, chewing at his lip in consideration. Jaemin met his gaze unflinchingly, watching curiously as Jeno shifted his eyes to meet Renjun’s deadpan stare. The mage raised an eyebrow after a few seconds, prompting an answer, and it only took another minute for the shifter to slump in his seat and pout, “fine. Only until I can get another job and save enough money for an apartment of my own though!”

Jaemin frowned, waving his words away, “you should focus on saving for next year’s tuition. I don’t mind sharing my apartment with a cutie like you.”

“Jaemin, that’s creepy,” Renjun scolded, even as Jeno blushed once again. Jaemin was half convinced that was _his_ standard setting.

“It’s the truth! Besides, I’d offer him a room anyway. I still can’t believe your landlord was that shitty. Or, well, I can. Humans are always assholes.”

Before Renjun could scold him on his very valid opinions, the mage was distracted by his phone pinging in his pocket. Pulling it out curiously, the mage squinted at the screen before a rather worrying grin crossed his face. Then he was directing a shit-eating smile towards the vampire, and Jaemin was scared.

“Who texted you?” Jaemin questioned.

“Who do you think?” Renjun returned easily, and Jaemin felt his stomach drop in despair. Laughing at Jaemin’s misfortune, Renjun started typing up a reply, “he’ll come by your apartment tomorrow with a supply of blood.”

Jaemin groaned, sliding down in his chair until he could barely see over the edge of the table. Jeno stared down at him in confusion, curiosity blatant even as he chewed at the fork he had been licking clean, “who are you talking about?”

Renjun hummed, reaching over to pat at Jeno’s shoulder soothingly even as his attention stayed on where his phone was pinging obnoxiously. Really, who kept their volume up? Jaemin’s phone was permanently set on vibrate.

“You’ll see tomorrow. I think you’ll like him.”

“ _Demon_ ,” Jaemin muttered quietly, continuing sliding down in his seat until he was looking at the bottom edge of the table. There was a collection of vines wrapped around the center pole holding it up that he hadn’t noticed before. He probably wouldn’t have sat at the table if he had, not with the way they were faintly glowing with an ominous red hue.

Jeno made another inquisitive noise above him, wholly unsatisfied with his lack of answers. Jaemin was too busy avoiding the kicks Renjun was aiming at his ankles (“Sit _up_ , Jaemin-”) to acknowledge how adorable he sounded. He was also busy pouting, because life was unfair and he knew he would _suffer_ tomorrow.

At least Jaemin would have a cute boy to keep him company throughout the upcoming turmoil.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope you liked it! and please ask me things i'm always happy to talk about this ;-;  
> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


	5. Chapter 5

“So I’ve actually come to a realization that I don’t actually have a spare bed? So you can either sleep on the couch until I can get one for the office or you could sleep with me. Which would you like?” Jaemin questioned, hanging his keys up on the little key holder next to the door that his sire had brought him last time he visited. It was handcrafted in the shape of a bat, because he was a cheesy motherfucker like that.

Nails clicking against the granite floors, Jeno-the-dog waited until he unclipped the pink leash from his collar to transform, the sharp scent of magic leaving Jaemin to crinkle his nose. A second later Jeno was right in front of him, barely an inch of space between them, and Jaemin stared into the shifter’s wide eyes for a few frozen seconds. He was _so_ pretty it was unfair and Jaemin would’ve leant even closer if it wasn’t for the way Jeno hurriedly stepped away. An awkward hand reached up to scratch at the back of his head and further messy his snow white hair, Jaemin’s fingers twitching at the urge to contribute in the effort.

He didn’t have the collar now, and Jaemin fought off his pout as he hung the leash up on the peg next to his keys. It had been a bit of an argument on whether or not to use it on the way back to Jaemin’s apartment, but the fact that Jeno lacked shoes and the city’s laws against unleashed dogs were all it took to convince him.

“Couch?” Jeno questioned.

Clearing his throat, Jaemin focused on toeing off his shoes and putting them away into the cupboard next to the door, “yeah, I can pull it out, but it’s not that comfortable. My bed’s better. Also expensive as fuck, but whatever.”

“I’m _not_ sleeping with you, Jaemin.”

The vampire looked up, smirk already curling at his lips even as Jeno caught on to the double meaning of his words. Frowning at the sleazy look he was being shot, Jeno huffed in annoyance, “you know what I meant. Besides, I’ve slept in worse places as a dog.”

Jaemin’s heart clenched, making him frown and step closer to the shifter so that he could lay a comforting hand on his shoulder, “I’m gonna make sure you never have to again, alright?”

There was a beat of silence, Jeno’s heartbeat noticeably speeding up as they stared at one another. Letting his hand slide up the side of Jeno’s neck, Jaemin let a soft smile cross over his lips, “Jeno-”

Jaemin was cut off, scrunching his nose as Jeno abruptly sneezed in his face.

“Sorry! I’m so sorry!” Jeno yelped, hands held up in panic as Jaemin stepped away and swiped his palm over his face.

“It’s f- actually no, that was gross, what the hell?”

“I’m sorry!”

The distressed face the shifter was pulling eventually had amusement overpowering disgust, and Jaemin snorted out a laugh as he turned towards the kitchen, “just don’t do it again. Are you hungry? I know it’s only been a couple hours since we ate, but I could make you something.”

The growl coming from the shifter’s stomach was answer enough, but Jeno tripped after the vampire quickly, “yes, please!”

Twenty minutes later Jeno was making very distracting sounds as he decimated a plate of egg fried rice. Jaemin stood on the other side of the island, dishes already set in the sink and the coffee maker chugging along. Jeno glanced up at him, lips shiny and distracting, “I’ll do the dishes.”

“You don’t have to,” Jaemin refuted, turning to take out a coffee cup printed with little bats (another gift from his sire) as the machine chimed it’s completion.

Jaemin pointed his chopsticks at him threateningly, his glasses falling down his nose as he glared, “I’m going to. Shut up.”

Sticking his tongue out childishly in response, Jaemin focused on his coffee, breathing out a sigh of relief at the scent. It wouldn’t replace blood, but the caffeine at least gave him a bit of a boost until _he_ would arrive tomorrow afternoon. He had taken a lot from Renjun, so he probably wouldn’t feel the itching thirst until at least noon tomorrow, and hopefully he would have the fridge stocked soon after.

Stepping over to lean against the island, Jaemin watched as Jeno picked at the remains on his plate, “do you want some coffee?”

Jeno’s nose crinkled at the offer, looking at Jaemin as he took a sip of the steaming liquid, “not any of yours. You didn’t put anything in it and it smells like death.”

“I don’t have tastebuds like yours anymore,” Jaemin pointed out, shrugging.

Jeno’s eyebrows shot up, a confused frown taking over his features, “huh?”

“I mean, if you tasted blood it would just be gross, right? It’s not like that for me,” Jaemin explained, leaning an elbow on the marble counter.

“What does it taste like then?”

Jaemin met the shifter’s gaze through half-lidded eyes, smirking devilishly, “ _divine_.”

There was a beat of silence, and then Jeno was trying to stab him with his chopsticks, “shut up! Seriously, what does it taste like?”

Dodging back, Jaemin made sure he didn’t spill any of his coffee even as he laughed loudly, “okay, okay. It depends on the person, honestly. Injun tastes like lavender, I think? And...sparks? That’s from the magic in him, though.”

“You think?” Jeno repeated, sitting back on his barstool and dropping his chopsticks onto the empty plate. After a few seconds he picked one back up and stuck it into his mouth to chew on. Jaemin was doomed.

“It’s been a very long time since I was human, Jeno. I don’t remember what most things tasted like. I’m relying on my sense of smell here.”

“How long?”

“Huh?” Jaemin turned from pouring himself a second cup of coffee, eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the look the shifter was shooting him.

“How long have you been a vampire?”

There was a beat of silence as Jaemin debated on answering him, before shrugging nonchalantly, “over a century.”

“How _much_ over a century?”

“Does it really matter?” Jeno’s continuing look of curiosity had Jaemin rolling his eyes in exasperation before answering, “about four decades, I think. I haven’t really thought about it.”

“So you’re _old_ old.”

“Jeno, I _will_ bite you. Besides, I’m practically a baby compared to my sire.”

“Oh? Anyone I know?”

“Jeno do you even _know_ any vampires other than me?” Jaemin questioned, actual curiosity hidden within the question.

Jeno was silent for a moment, expression pinched, before hesitantly nodding, “two? One is only seventy-two though, and the other is his sire.”

“Hmm, wonder if I know them. You definitely don’t know my sire though, and it’s probably better if you didn’t. Are you still hungry?”

Jeno shook his head, before pausing, “do you have anything sweet?”

Jaemin paused, head tilting in consideration as he turned to look at his cabinets, “er, no. I don’t think so. I bought some dog treats this morning, if you want to try those? Is that inappropriate?”

He hadn’t dealt with a shifter in a long while, and it was very obvious. Jeno shot him a mocking look before shrugging, “when I’m a dog, sure. Human form makes them taste disgusting, unfortunately. I’ll have coffee if you actually have sugar, though.”

Jaemin nodded, setting his cup on the counter and pulling open the cabinet where he kept them. Looking over the options for a second, Jaemin smirked in amusement before pulling down one that was decorated in rainbow paw prints that he had bought a few years ago.

Jeno had rounded the island into the kitchen while he grabbed it, and Jaemin handed it over with an impish smile despite the shifter’s unamused glare. Nudging him aside with a huff, Jeno went about filling up his cup as Jaemin retrieved the sugar for him.

Once he had fixed it to his specifications, Jeno leaned against the counter beside Jaemin, blowing at the steaming cup, “so, who’s coming tomorrow?”

Jaemin took a second to realize who he was talking about before frowning at the reminder, “you want the long version or just a summary?”

“Um, can I choose both?”

Jaemin snorted, before taking a strengthening sip of coffee and letting out a sigh, “he’s my ex-fuck buddy, though Injun would probably call him my ex-boyfriend. It was really confusing at the time, but the fact that he turned out to be a vampire slayer ended whatever it was.”

Jeno gaped incredulously, “he’s a _what_?”

Jaemin laughed, nodding his head, “yeah, that was my reaction too. Anyway, it would’ve had a more horrific and...bloody ending about eighty years ago, but times have changed. Slayers just take care of the vampires that are really idiotic and fond of bloodbaths. For the ones that are basically hermits,” Jaemin motioned a hand over himself, “they don’t really care. They’ve established blood banks now, and we can buy bags from them at a monetary charge. It’s...decent, and a hell of a lot better than it was in the nineteenth century.”

“Didn’t you say you drank someones blood in an alley yesterday? Won’t they be pissed about that?”

Jaemin shrugged, waving a nonchalant hand, “I mean, they won’t be happy about it? But I didn’t kill the guy and I made sure he had a way to get home, so it’ll be fine. If I had drained him dry and left him to rot, then I’d be worried about a stake to the heart.”

Jeno winced at the blunt words, but Jaemin was just being honest. Times really had changed, and it was all the better for it. His time as a fledgling wasn’t kind and he would never return to them if he was given the option.

“Anyway, that’s why he’s gonna be coming over tomorrow. He’s probably going to complain about being used as a delivery service, but I don’t really care. He can deal with it, and it’s not like he’s doing it for free.”

Jeno nodded, frowning as he took in all the knowledge he had just been given. After a few minutes of them sedately sipping at their coffees, Jaemin pushed himself off of the counter and dropped his into the sink, “I’m gonna get a few blankets for the couch, okay?”

Getting a nod of acknowledgment from the shifter, Jaemin disappeared into his office. It was a decent size for a bedroom, to be honest. The large desk and three different monitors he had set up ate into the space though, and the vampire debated for a second over how he would be able to fit a bed in here for Jeno. There was always the option of sharing his own queen sized bed, but he had a feeling that Jeno wouldn’t agree with him.

Pushing those thoughts away for now, Jaemin opened up the closet to retrieve the blankets and an extra pillow. Returning back to the main living space gifted the vampire with the sight of Jeno loading dishes into the washer, and he decided to busy himself with pulling the bed out from the couch.

A few minutes later, Jeno was stood at his side, looking down at the bed with a confusing look on his face. Jaemin just stared at him until the shifter finally looked back, face pinched in embarrassment, “I don’t have pajamas.”

Jolting in place, Jaemin nodded and turned towards his room, “I’ll grab you some.”

Jeno was immediately protesting, “you don’t have to-”

“Shut up,” Jaemin cut him off, waving a hand over his shoulder. A pair of sweatpants was easy to find considering it made up half of his clothing options, but Jaemin debated for a moment on which shirt to grab. That’s when he noticed his name printed on the back of one of them, and a shit-eating grin took over his face. Pulling down the old soccer jersey and staring down at the thirteen on the back, Jaemin thought back to the college he had attended at least five years ago now.

It had been needed for getting a job as a programmer, and he was proud of the bachelor’s degree he was sporting now. Spending so much time around humans had been odd, but it had been a learning experience he was happy to live through. The amount of sun-protecting potions he had charged Renjun with making just so he could join the soccer team was also worth it, and he would never trade away his memories as a player.

Nostalgia had him staring down at the shirt for another few moments, running his fingers over his name, but then he remembered why he had pulled it out in the first place. Mischievousness coming back in full spring, the vampire moved back to the living room.

Jeno was sat on the bed, his face turned to the large flatscreen Jaemin had mounted to the wall. He had navigated his way to Netflix, and it took all of Jaemin’s restraint not to let another innuendo fall from his mouth.

Dumping the clothes onto Jeno’s lap, the vampire shot him a winning smile, “there you go!”

Jeno looked down, eyebrows shooting up at the soccer jersey before he was frowning in bewilderment, “you played soccer?”

“During college, yeah.”

“You went to _college_?”

“Jeno, do you think vampires spend all their time in rundown castles in the middle of Europe?” Jaemin questioned curiously, snorting as Jeno’s cheeks flushed with an embarrassed blush. Patting at his face mockingly, Jaemin cooed down at him, “yes, I went to college. Many times, actually.”

Turning his face away, Jeno gathered the clothes in his arms before darting to the bathroom. Jaemin watched the shifter’s strategic retreat in amusement, snorting at the resounding goodnight that Jeno yelled through the closed door. Returning it easily, Jaemin returned to his own room to get changed before clicking his light off and slipping into bed.

* * *

Before Jaemin was really prepared for it, the morning arrived as cheerfully as it could. Sunlight beamed through whatever gap it could find through his window blinds, just as annoying as the pounding knocks on the door to his apartment. He knew who it was, he could smell the access of silver all the way from his bedroom, and he groaned miserably into his pillow. The knocking didn’t stop, only growing more insistent and annoyed, and before Jaemin could pull himself out of bed he heard the sound of the door being unlocked.

Panic filled him as Jaemin darted up immediately, rushing through the apartment with a vampiric speed even though he was already too late. Jeno had already opened the door, curiosity all over his features, and Jaemin froze in defeat. Letting out a long sigh, he stepped up behind the shifter, looking over his shoulder and taking in the confused face on the other side of the door.

Lee Donghyuck was staring at Jeno in confusion, eyebrows raised high. He was saying something about knowing this was the right apartment before he caught sight of Jaemin, mouth instantly creasing into a grimace and his eyes narrowing, “leech.”

It sounded distinctly different from the way Renjun said it, distaste coating the words instead of the fond exasperation the mage held for him. Jaemin bared his fangs in response, eyes flashing red, before he was composing himself with an imperious sniff and resting a hand on Jeno’s shoulder to pull him away from the door, “Donghyuck.”

Jeno looked between them, his scent radiating muted distress, and Jaemin didn’t want him in between them if they actually went for one another’s throats. It was likely, and had happened before, so Jaemin was justified in his precautions. Leading him over to the couch, Jaemin urged him to take a seat on the messy bed, hiding his smile when Jeno obeyed him without question.

It gained Donghyuck’s attention though, the silver haired boy closing the door behind him as he stepped into the apartment. Dropping the briefcase he brought with him, the slayer started unlacing the black combat boots on his feet as he watched them. Crinkling his nose disapprovingly, Donghyuck looked Jeno up and down in evaluation, lingering on the back of the soccer jersey considering Jeno’s back was facing him, before he was shooting Jaemin a judgmental look, “a werewolf, Jaemin? Really?”

Jeno made an indignant noise from where he was pushing his blankets away to make room, arms crossing over his chest as he sent an offended look Donghyuck’s way, "I'm a canine shifter. There's a difference, thank you very much."

Donghyuck sneered at him, "does it matter? Jaemin's still a furry."

Jaemin immediately spluttered in offense, mind already flashing back to the explicit art he had seen on Twitter after clicking on the wrong hashtag, "I am not!"

“What’s a furry?” Jeno asked cluelessly. Which, honestly? It was a shock that the shifter hadn’t encountered that information yet.

Jaemin sent a dangerous look Donghyuck’s way when he saw the gleeful look on his face, “do _not_ answer that.”

Rolling his eyes, Donghyuck ran a hand through his hair, silver strands a nice contrast against his sun kissed skin, before moving to pick the metal briefcase he had dropped by the door back up. Jaemin could feel the magic radiating from here, and the runes etched around the edges of it glowed with a faint ice blue light.

Jaemin grimaced at the insignia on the front of the briefcase, memories from his first few decades of life leading to an engrained wariness of the symbol of the hunters. His sire’s training and his own paranoia was itching at his senses, screaming at him to either run as far as he could or _attack, attack, attack_ and Jaemin locked both reactions away with determination. Things were different now, the _world_ was different now, and they had all had to adapt with the advances of technology.

Instead Jaemin let his eyes drop down as Donghyuck bent to retrieve the case, eyebrows shooting up in surprise as he let out a surprised hum, “you have an ass now?”

The slayer slowly straightened, a sneer on his pretty face as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes once again, “I've always had an ass.”

“No you didn't,” Jaemin easily disagreed despite the approaching danger he could feel. He wasn't a liar after all, and he had _seen_ Donghyuck's ass, “you had like, a pancake or something.”

“I'm going to fucking _stake_ you-”

“Jaemin, please,” Jeno interrupted cautiously, despite blushing at his own question. It was probably in an effort to keep Jaemin alive, because the vampire clearly didn't care about flirting with danger.

Jaemin looked away from the slayer immediately, turning to meet Jeno’s eyes instead. The shifter was looking up at him with a frown, and the vampire tried for a comforting smile before turning back to Donghyuck with a scowl, “how many bags did you bring?”

Donghyuck scoffed, carrying case over to the kitchen and dropping it onto the counter top. There was a flare of magic in the air before the case was clicking open, the muted scent of blood tickling at Jaemin's nose a second later. He frowned, a hint of thirst starting to scratch at the back of his throat. It was ten in the morning, so it wouldn’t be long until he was actually hungry, but it wasn't worrying. Not yet, anyway.

Donghyuck shot him a look as he pulled out a few bags, “how many are you buying?”

“A full stock, probably. I’ve emptied the fridge.”

The slayer immediately turned to open the refrigerator, expression dropping at the emptiness, “are you fucking kidding me?”

Jaemin shrugged at the glare Donghyuck shot over his shoulder, to busy looking down at Jeno. He had moved his hand up to play with his messy white hair, smoothing his fingers through it in an attempt to calm it and hiding a smile as Jeno leaned into his palm. Scratching at his scalp and resisting to coo at the hum Jeno let out, Jaemin turned his stare to where Donghyuck was watching them.

“There’s a reason Injun and you probably spent an hour insulting me.”

Donghyuck scowled, eyes flickering off to the side as some unidentified emotion crossed his face, before he was turning back to the briefcase with a scoff, “whatever. You better have enough money to pay for this.”

“When don’t I?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is actually a week overdue with the schedule i'm trying to keep which. my bad. on the bright side i've also posted a [markhei pwp](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19339630) if anyone's interested in that! also please ask me any questions you have about this fic and its lore and i'll try my best to answer! also if you just...have any questions at all (or hcs or opinions or...anything) hit up my cc! thank you for reading (ㅠ ㅅ ㅠ)  
> [ [twitter](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


	6. Chapter 6

“So, how did you too meet?” Donghyuck questioned, taking a seat on the arm of the couch. He was running a hand through his hair, the lights of Jaemin’s apartment glinting against the silver hue. He looked good, and Jaemin hated him for being so pretty while simultaneously being one of the biggest thorns in his side. Jeno looked at the stranger warily, eyeing the foot of space between them, and Jaemin tried his best not to throw the slayer out the door instead of rummaging around for where he had hid some of his cash.

“Um,” Jeno hesitated, looking back over at Jaemin who had stuck his head into the coat closet by the front door, “we just...bumped into each other.”

“Of course you did,” Donghyuck nodded dubiously, his smokey eyes half-lidded and strangely mocking. Jeno furrowed his brows in confusion, tilting his head curiously.

“How did _you_ two meet?” Jeno questioned in return, because Jaemin hadn’t divulged that bit of information.

“Don’t answer that,” Jaemin spoke up, voice muffled before he yelped as a shoebox fell down from an upper shelf and landed on his head.

Donghyuck snorted out a laugh, clutching at his stomach as he bent in half. Jeno joined him in the laughter, even if Jaemin was shooting the two of them disgruntled looks the entire time. It took a few minutes for them to control themselves, but then Donghyuck was wiping carefully at his eyes and letting out a long sigh.

“Whew, I forgot how much of an idiot you are. To answer your question, we met when Jaemin was looking to get laid,” Donghyuck sent a salacious smile his way, and Jeno tried his best not to squirm in place, “being the good samaritan that I am, I volunteered.”

“Bullshit, you were just as horny as I was,” Jaemin grumbled, barely audible to Jeno’s ears. The shifter tried his best to quash the blush that wanted to take over his features, memories of the night before with Renjun on the vampire’s lap flashing in front of his mind’s eye, quickly distracting himself by asking another question.

“How long ago was that?”

Donghyuck looked at him curiously, a worrying sparkle in his eyes, “are you asking how old I am? That’s rude, y’know.”

“You’re not even that old. Stop pretending to be modest, Hyuck,” Jaemin called out mockingly, before both of them were freezing in place, their gazes locking together. It was almost as if lightning sparked across the space between them, before they were both abruptly turning away, perturbed looks on their features.

“Anyway,” Donghyuck coughed out, looking Jeno up and down, “have you met Renjun?”

Before Jeno could answer Jaemin was holding up a wad of cash, thicker than any Jeno had seen throughout his life, “here it is! How much for the stock again?”

Donghyuck looked at the vampire incredulously, “do you really just have stacks of money hidden around here?”

Jaemin looked at him in confusion, tilting his head, “uh, yeah?”

“I’m going to rob you.”

Jaemin shot him a nasty smile, eyes glinting red, “you can try.”

Donghyuck’s hand twitched towards his belt, before he was forcing himself to relax, crossing his arms over his chest in a lackadaisical manner, “I could take you.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Jaemin purred, walking over with a swing in his step. Then his expression dropped, along with a small stack of cash that he dropped onto Donghyuck’s lap, “will that settle it?”

Donghyuck started counting through the bills as Jeno stared, still shellshocked, wondering just what Jaemin did in his free time to be able to throw money around like that. It had an ugly burning feeling prick at his chest, but before Jeno could really focus on it Jaemin had slunk up beside him, his hand drifting to the back of his neck. Jeno instantly relaxed when the vampire’s fingers threaded through his hair, which was kind of annoying. Jeno was a canine shifter though, and he liked pets. He wouldn’t deny that part of his nature.

That in mind, it wasn’t surprising when Jeno’s muscles relaxed, leaning his arm against Jaemin’s leg when the vampire was close enough. He was a step away from pressing his face against his hip too, but luckily Donghyuck snapped him out of it before that could happen.

“I need another two hundred.”

Jaemin’s eyebrows furrowed, his eyes darting to the money in Donghyuck’s hands, “that’s triple what I paid last time.”

“Last time you only got a week stock, leech,” Donghyuck sneered, his mood drastically shifting, “you were completely out this time. If I find anyone’s been drained in the past few days, it’s _you_ that I’m hunting down.

“We both know I’m not like that, Donghyuck,” Jaemin easily returned, for once not rising to the bait as he continued stroking through Jeno’s hair. The boy was teetering in place, as if he was stopping himself from pressing as close as he could. Probably just to make sure Jaemin wouldn’t stop his ministrations, but the shifter had no need to be worried. Jaemin didn’t want to stop.

Lifting his eyes up to meet Donghyuck’s, the vampire shrugged at the incredulous look the slayer was shooting him, “what? It’s true.”

“It’s true _now_ ,” Donghyuck returned, eyes narrowed dangerously.

Jaemin met the look with a glare of his own, finger’s stilling against the back of Jeno’s head despite the shifter’s whine, “what’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means my boss made me do _research_ on you, Na. And our records aren’t pretty.”

Jaemin sucked in a needless breath between his teeth, biting down on his lower lip and ignoring the slice of his fangs. That was worrying, to be honest. Jaemin did his best to stay out of the slayer’s attention, but there were outside factors he had to consider. Jaemin didn’t associate much with other vampires, but the ones that he did…

“So, my sire’s been getting closer to the city, huh?” Jaemin questioned curiously, keeping his tone as mild as possible.

Donghyuck’s spine went ramrod straight, the slayer slipping off the armrest of the couch to stand to his full height, “what gives you that idea? Has he contacted you?”

Jaemin shot him a disbelieving look, “Donghyuck, do you think I’m stupid? I haven’t done shit to have your boss interested in me, so obviously it has to do with the only other vampire I keep in contact with.”

The slayer winced, shoulders hunching in, “fuck.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes, “tell Kun to back the fuck off. He’ll end up _actually_ losing his arm if he tries his luck again.”

“You say that like he’ll actually listen to me. Or you, for that matter,” Donghyuck sighed, running a hand through his hair and dislodging the artfully styled mess until it was sticking up oddly.

Jeno was looking between the two of them curiously, eyes narrowed, “Kun?”

“He’s this district’s top slayer. He and my sire have some...unresolved issues, to say the least.”

Donghyuck snorted in disbelief, “that motherfucker shredded Kun’s arm to pieces.”

“That’s generally what happens when you try to _light us on fire_ , Donghyuck.”

“He _what_?” Jeno gasped, tugging at the hem of Jaemin’s sleep shirt. The vampire absently patted at the back of hand, his other hand restarting it’s ministrations in Jeno’s hair.

“He’s just bitter because my sire left him for a fae,” Jaemin shrugged nonchalantly, “which, like, when you see him...I’d have left Kun too.”

“You’re a bastard,” Donghyuck told him, stepping away from them to retrieve the briefcase he had left on Jaemin’s island counter.

“I like pretty things, Donghyuck, and I hate liars,” Jaemin corrected, staring at the slayer as he ducked his head. It could be that he was checking the runes on the case, but Jaemin knew better than that.

“I know you do,” Donghyuck muttered quietly, almost unnoticed were it not for the fact that two of the three people in the room weren’t human, and had the enhanced senses to prove it, “have fun with your new dog.”

Jeno scowled, “hey-”

“I’ll have Injun call you next time I need to restock,” Jaemin interrupted, patting comfortably at Jeno’s shoulder as an apology for the slayer.

Donghyuck shot them both a look, silent as he bent to lace up his combat boots. After a few moments he looked away, scoffing quietly under his breath, “you should just call me yourself. Renjun’s not your secretary.”

“He’s not,” Jaemin agreed, tilting his head with a sweet smile, “but we both know you blocked my number a long time ago.”

Donghyuck frowned, his lips pressing thin. He kept his silence until he had his hand on the door, and then he was turning to look at the two of them, Jeno still sat on the sofa bed with Jaemin by his side, “no I didn’t.”

Jaemin startled, eyes widening, “what-”

“Nice meeting you, Jeno. You’re gonna have your hands full with that one, so watch yourself,” Donghyuck interrupted, tilting his head towards Jaemin as he held the shifter’s surprised gaze.

Then he was gone, the door quietly clicking shut in his wake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is half the length of the other chapters have been, but i've decided to post what i've been sitting on instead of trying to make it longer. i'll try my best to get back to the usual word count (and to get back on updating this regularly rip) so here's hoping the muse continues uwu
> 
> in other news i'm also 10k into a high fantasy fic so that'll be coming out...sometime. projected word count is around 70k so i'll probably wait until i'm more into it before i do start posting it.
> 
> again, sorry for the long wait! hope you liked it!
> 
> as always you can find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) or [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) if you ever wanna talk about this fic or anything else uwu please do, i'm always ready to talk dfjlaksdjf


	7. Chapter 7

After the Donghyuck fiasco happened, Jaemin found his life changing in subtle little ways. Letting Jeno move in with him would never be a decision the vampire would regret, even as the shifter turned Jaemin’s everyday life around. Jeno’s presence in his apartment forced Jaemin to pull himself away from his games and his programming more often, venturing out of his office for more than his next bag of blood or a quick nap.

If he didn’t pay enough attention to Jeno the shifter made sure he knew it. At first he would just peek in around the doorway, quietly asking if Jaemin was busy or not. As the weeks passed and they grew more comfortable with each other (and as Renjun visited and told Jeno how much of a pushover Jaemin could be), the shifter slowly became bolder. Now he had a habit of  wandering into Jaemin’s office in his dog form, his nails clicking at the tile and his ears perked up attentively, before he was pressing his cold nose against whatever available skin Jaemin had visible.

If that didn’t draw Jaemin away from his computer Jeno resorted to more drastic measures. The first time Jaemin found himself with a lap full of samoyed, he didn’t even know what to do with himself. He had just wrapped his arms around the fluff ball to make sure Jeno didn’t topple to the floor, looking up incredulously at the shifter only to get a soft lick against his cheek. If Jaemin had had the capacity to blush, he knew he would’ve, but luck was on his side for once.

After that, Jaemin learned to keep an ear out for whenever Jeno approached. He made sure to save his games or check his progress in his work. Depending on how he was doing, Jaemin would either send the shifter away with a quick had scratch or just pull him into his lap no matter the form he was in and continue to type away.

The first time Renjun had stumbled upon them had been interesting, if only because of how embarrassed both he and Jeno had gotten. Jeno had been human at the time, having grown far too used to Jaemin pulling him into his lap because he was too busy to leave his office and unable to join Jeno elsewhere. The shifter didn’t mind it, more than content in playing the vampire’s personal heater, snuggling into his lap and watching curiously as Jaemin fumbled through code. Sometimes the vampire would occasionally pause his typing to read something and his unoccupied hands would make its way into Jeno’s hair, petting absently in such a nice way that the shifter turned to putty.

Then Renjun had entered Jaemin’s apartment with no prior warning, only to find them in that position for the first time. Or, there probably was, but Jaemin hadn’t dragged his attention away from his current programming job in order to look at the phone vibrating in his back pocket. Instead he was focusing on a long line of code that was causing him difficulties, his lips pinched in annoyance as it continued refusing to follow what Jaemin wanted it to do. He would probably be able to figure it out faster if he didn’t have a boy splayed out over his lap, though.

The close presence was distracting enough, the warmth such a welcome contrast against Jaemin’s cool skin. The blood he could hear rushing through Jeno’s veins would be another factor of his distraction, if only the vampire hadn’t learned long ago how to push that aside and focus on other things.

It was the fact that Jeno’s face was buried in the crook of Jaemin’s neck, practically purring from Jaemin’s fingers scratching at his hair, that was the main factor of his split focus. Hell, he barely even noticed the fact that there was someone entering his apartment, considering he was so focused on Jeno.

Jaemin paused his half hearted reading, eyes flickering in the direction of the entrance to the apartment as he breathed in deeply. The muscles that he had tensed up as soon as he noticed the intrusion relaxed as soon as he recognized the scent. Letting out a faint huff of amusement, Jaemin ignored the questioning sound that escaped Jeno’s throat, turning his head towards the office door.

“We’ve got company,” Jaemin murmured into his ear barely a second before Renjun came into view.

Jeno’s relaxed body instantly went tense in surprise, sleepy eyes widening in surprise at the sight of the mage. Renjun stared at the two of them in equal surprise, his eyes wide as he took in their positions. Jaemin was the most relaxed of the three of them, slouching back into his desk chair and watching the emotions crossing Renjun’s face curiously.

They were hard to decipher, but long exposure to Renjun’s presence had Jaemin recognizing a few emotions. His scent was more of a give away, the envy practically a beacon for the vampire to pick up on. There was nothing to suggest he was upset at finding the two of them though, just surprise and that curiously envious stench. The only fact Jaemin needed to find out was what, exactly, Renjun was jealous of here.

“Injunnie,” Jaemin cooed, gaining the mage’s attention immediately, “what are you doing here?”

Renjun huffed, his scent changing drastically as his envy was pushed aside for blatant annoyance, “do you ever check your phone?”

Jaemin considered that for a moment before patting gently at Jeno’s hip. The shifter was still all tense, watching Renjun warily, and Jaemin was oh so interested in knowing his thoughts at that moment. Instead he simply watched as Jeno slid off of his lap, standing up quickly only to lean subtly into Jaemin’s space, his hands tapping lightly at Jaemin’s shoulder.

Jaemin ignored him for now, lifting his hips slightly so that he could fish his phone out of his back pocket. Unlocking it, the vampire let out a small sound of surprise at Renjun’s multitude of messages, a consistent wall of text full of ever increasing insults as Jaemin went longer and longer without responding.

Jeno snorted at a few of the names Renjun called him, reading over his shoulder curiously as he slowly relaxed away from the tension Renjun’s sudden entrance had caused.

Skimming through the messages, the vampire frowned as he found that Renjun never actually spoke about why he wanted Jaemin’s attention. Turning curious eyes towards the mage, Jaemin shook his phone at him as he locked it and dropped it onto his desk.

“Sorry, I was programming and then unable to move because of him,” Jeno let out a faint sound of offense at the way Jaemin waved lazily towards him, “what’s up?”

Renjun rolled his eyes before stomping into the room. He only came to a stop when he was right next to Jaemin’s chair, the vampire having to crane his head back in order to keep their gazes locked. Then the mage was cupping Jaemin’s cheeks in his hands, calloused from all his gardening and potion work a warm pressure against the vampire’s cool skin, surprising both the Jaemin and the shifter at his side.

As soon as he saw the purple glow in Renjun’s irises he understood, though. Relaxing, the vampire tried his best to keep his mind as open as possible, welcoming the intruding pressure of Renjun’s curious magic.

The vision that the mage gave him was brief. A snapshot of Renjun at his kitchen table, scrying bones scattering the tabletop in front of him and a pinched expression on his face. Jaemin didn’t know what they meant, but the way Renjun rushed to grab a bowl full of water immediately after told him that it wasn’t anything good.

The memory seemed to speed up for a moment, Renjun’s movements a touch faster than before, and then it was coming back into focus as Renjun dipped magic coated fingers into the ornate bowl he had grabbed. A second later the water was being replaced with an image of a face Jaemin knew all too well.

Jerking back in surprise, Jaemin barely noticed as Renjun’s hands slipped from his face, the mage taking a step back in order to let the vampire gather himself.

It wasn’t that easy, truth be told. He hadn’t seen his sire’s face in years, so seeing that mischievous, fanged grin was all the more shocking. He barely even noticed his own fangs had extended in surprise, only becoming aware when their sharp points sunk through his bottom lip. Hissing at the self inflicted pain, Jaemin closed his eyes for a few moments, ignoring the way Jeno was kneading at his shoulders worryingly.

It was only when he felt more calm that he looked back at Renjun, meeting the mage’s gaze easily considering the fact that Renjun was watching him intently, “why were you scrying in the first place?”

Renjun shrugged, both of them ignoring Jeno’s confused whine, “had a feeling.”

Jaemin grumbled at the answer but didn’t ask for an elaboration. Magic worked in odd ways, and it was better for his own sanity that he didn’t question its methods. That in mind,  Jaemin turned his attention to what Renjun had shown him, “why’s he back? He hasn’t been around since he was showing off his shiny new boyfriend.”

Renjun wrinkled his nose in distaste before rolling his eyes, “I don’t know, but the slayers are going to pitch a fit.”

“Who are you talking about?” Jeno interrupted, tired of being out of the loop. Renjun sent him a quick glance before looking questionably back towards Jaemin. When the vampire just gave a nonchalant shrug, the blond breathed out an annoyed sigh and turned towards the shifter.

“Jaemin’s sire is back in the city, apparently. Or he will be soon, I’m not too sure.”

Jeno let out a curious little noise that was far too cute for Jaemin’s wellbeing, “didn’t Donghyuck ask if you knew whether he was coming back?”

“What?” Renjun questioned in surprise, quickly shooting Jaemin an accusing look.

The vampire waved his hands innocently, trying his best to appear pitiful as he pouted his lips, “don’t look at me like that Injunnie, I didn’t know he would _actually_ come into the city. He wasn’t exactly happy the last time he left.”

“He really needs to sort his shit out with Kun,” Renjun grumbled, pinching at the bridge of his nose.

“Why do you live in this city if your sire hates it so much?” Jeno interrupted curiously, his fingers clenching at the edge of Jaemin’s sleeve before he moved his hand up towards his mouth. Jaemin quickly slapped at them before Jeno could stick them into his mouth, having grown accustomed to fending of one of Jeno’s worst habits. The shifter always whined about Jaemin constantly biting his own lips, and he was being a hypocrite in not letting Jeno bite at his nails.

The vampire didn’t care about being a hypocrite though, and looked back into Jeno’s annoyed glare with an amused smile before he answered his question, “this city is in the center of Kun’s district, and it’s honestly one of the best for vampires like me to live in. He’s a bit of a hard ass, but he keeps the balance pretty well established and the draining rates low. For me, it’s pretty perfect, especially since Injunnie set up shop here,” it was here that he paused, turning an adoring smile towards the unamused mage, before looking back at Jeno, “but it’s a pain in the ass when my sire decides to visit.”

“Can’t you just meet him outside of Kun’s district? How far does it reach?”

Jaemin shrugged, “I’m honestly not sure, but it’s pretty big. I haven’t actually left the city for five years, so I don’t know how much the borders have changed in that time. As for my sire, he’s a bit...flighty, I guess, and our communications always been spotty. It’s a lot easier to just wait until he wants to pop in instead of trying to track him down.”

“He’s going to be here soon too by the looks of it,” Renjun muttered, moving across the room to spread himself over the sleeper sofa Jaemin had ordered for the room. It was permanently reclined for Jeno to sleep on, though there was no telling whether he would be there or on the couch in the living room, curled up in a big ball of white fur. Sometimes he could even be found at the foot of Jaemin’s own bed, and the vampire had already grown resigned to his dark clothes being covered in fur.

Both Jeno and Jaemin followed his movements, exchanging a quick glance when the mage let out a tired sigh as he was laying down. Jaemin reached out a hand to quickly save the progress he had been making in his programming before joining Jeno in approaching the sofa.

Renjun let out a whine of annoyance when he realized what they were doing, but didn’t offer much of a protest when they shuffled him further into the middle of the space. He just let out a resigned grumble, splaying his arms out on either side of him as they trapped him between them. Resting his head on Renjun’s skinny arm, Jaemin resisted the urge to poke fun at him, meeting Jeno’s playful eyes over Renjun’s small chest. In a simultaneous movement they both wrapped their arms around Renjun’s waist, twining their legs together and making it unable for the mage to escape.

“Why?” Renjun asked flatly, tilting his head up to look down at the both of them before letting it drop back down against the pillow.

Jeno moved his chin up onto Renjun’s shoulder, meeting Renjun’s faintly amused look with an endearing smile, “you’re a nice cuddle buddy.”

It had the mage instantly blushing, squirming under them uncomfortably as he tried moving away but was unable to, “shut up, no I’m not.”

“He’s right, babe. You’re really warm.” Jaemin assured him, tightening the arm he had around Renjun’s waist. He tried his best to hide his mischievous smile against Renjun’s shoulder when the mage turned an unamused look his way, even if it was futile. Then the vampire was letting out a yelp, squirming when Renjun curled the arm he had under Jaemin’s head enough that he was able to run his fingers over the vampire’s sides.

“Little shit,” Renjun told him, his insult softened by the fond look in his eyes. Jaemin beamed up at him brightly, before becoming distracted by Jeno’s whine.

Turning towards the shifter, Jaemin’s eyebrows raised curiously at the pout the boy was sending them both, before realizing what was the matter. Laughing quietly, Jaemin reached a hand over Renjun’s chest until he was able to get his fingers in Jeno’s white hair and started scratching at his scalp soothingly, “sorry, puppy. Are we ignoring you?”

Jeno blushed faintly, averting his eyes with a frown, “shut up.”

“Needy,” Renjun teased, a grin on his face as he watched Jeno instinctively tilt his head into Jaemin’s hand. The mage’s scent was calm now, faintly amused and lacking any envious stench. Jaemin shuffled that evaluation in the back of his head quietly, telling himself that he would reflect back on it later. He had his suspicions about what was happening between the three of them after all, but he didn’t want to rush anything.

He would just enjoy the moment as it happened, perfectly content to relax into the combined warmth of the two boys. He had a feeling he would need this moment to think about later, especially considering the vicinity between himself and his sire quickly shrinking.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading 💕💕 if anyone has a guess on who jaemin's sire is, please feel free to share 👀 we'll be seeing him next chapter probably uwu  
> [ [twt](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


	8. Chapter 8

His sire only kept him waiting for a few more days. Jaemin had grown more and more tense as time passed, wondering what the older vampire was doing while in the city. He knew the slayers were tense, their patrols starting to increase in frequency and their muscles tense. Donghyuck had even swung by again, more obviously bristling with weapons then he usually was.

At least he had come with more blood for Jaemin, considering the vampire was trying to remain more conscientious of emptying his entire fridge.

“And you’re _sure_ he hasn’t contacted you?” Donghyuck questioned again, leaning heavily against the counter as he locked his briefcase back up. Jaemin eyed the glowing runes covering the surface, before looking away with a shrug.

“You already know that he shows up when he wants to, Donghyuck. He doesn’t send a warning beforehand. I wouldn’t even know he was around if it wasn’t for you.”

Donghyuck sneered, “how are you so relaxed about this?"

Jaemin smirked, fangs flashing mockingly and making the already tense slayer straighten up instinctively, “he’s not a danger to me.”

“Being a vampire doesn’t give you an immunity, leech. He’s killed just as many vampires as he has slayers.”

Jaemin rolled his eyes, “I don’t know why you’re telling me this as if I didn’t already _know._ I’m not afraid of him because I’m a vampire, Donghyuck. It’s because I’m _his_ vampire, and I’m long used to the way he is.”

Donghyuck looked as if he had bitten into something rotten, his eyes glancing over Jaemin’s relaxed form incredulously. Jaemin knew he didn’t cut much of an impressive figure, not when he was standing around in his pajamas with his hair a ruffled mess. In his defense, Donghyuck had showed up only a few hours after he had went to bed, and Jaemin refused to rush and make himself presentable just for the slayer.

Still, Jaemin knew his sire wasn’t a danger, not to him. He just had to make sure that he wasn’t a danger to Jeno or Renjun, and then he could truly relax.

When the silence stretched out for some time, Donghyuck finally relaxed a bit and rolled his eyes, “fine, whatever. I’m going to laugh when we get reports that you’ve ended up dead.”

Jaemin batted his eyelashes mockingly, “I’m sure it’ll be to hide your heartbreak.”

Donghyuck didn’t even respond, already starting to stomp out of the apartment with his chin held high.

* * *

The next day, Jaemin was in the midst of fixing up a meal for Jeno and Renjun, the mage making yet another appearance in his apartment without an explanation. Not that Jaemin actually minded, but it was something to take note of. Before Jeno had entered their lives Renjun had been careful about how much he engaged with Jaemin, not wanting to seem as if he cared that obviously about the vampire. It had always been Jaemin seeking him out, with only rare moments when Renjun initiated things instead.

Things were clearly different now though, and Jaemin knew he had the shifter that was currently resting in Renjun’s lap to thank for it.

Glancing up at the fluffy samoyed, Jaemin tried his best not to coo aloud at the sight of Jeno’s fluffy ears twitching under Renjun’s petting fingers. He was in the midst of cutting up some meat for stir fry after all, and he had to focus if he didn’t want to contaminate the food by slicing open his fingers with the knife he was wielding.

Before he could go back to his current task, Jaemin was distracted by footsteps out in the hall. Normally he didn’t pay any passing people attention, too used to ignoring the other residents in his apartment building. What caught his attention though was the distinct lack of a heartbeat accompanying two sets of footsteps.

Straightening up from where he had been leaning against the counter, Jaemin placed his knife on the cutting board before heading towards the door. His movements caught the attention of Renjun and Jeno, both of them looking over curiously. Renjun seemed to freeze at the look on Jaemin’s face as Jeno’s ears flicked back, a low whine calling out to him.

Jaemin glanced over at them shortly, knowing that his eyes were tinged red and his fangs were extended over his lower lip, before trying for a comforting smile, “we’ve got some company.”

Then he was opening the door before the guests could knock, coming face to face with his sire’s fang-filled grin.

“Jaemin!” His sire chirped, launching forward with all the speed his age graced him with and knocking them both to the ground with his hug.

“Sire,” Jaemin returned easily, fighting back a grimace due to the back of his head knocking against the floor.

“Ten,” an exasperated voice called as Jaemin’s sire continued to nuzzle against him, “must you always do this?”

The elder vampire let out a huff, turning to glance over his shoulder to the two people still standing in the doorway. Taeyong, pink haired and just as beautiful as the last time Jaemin had seen him, was looking at them both tiredly, his hands having moved to massage at his temples. Not even being a high ranking knight in the fae court could save someone from the headache that was Ten, apparently.

Taeyong had been dealing with Ten for at least a decade by now though, so really he should be well used to his sire’s antics.

“Hey Taeyong,” Jaemin greeted easily, grunting as Ten pressed his weight against him so that he could climb to his feet. Then the elder vampire was reaching a hand out to him, pulling Jaemin up effortlessly.

The fae sent him a quick glance, his eyes just as pink as his hair and glittering with amusement as he let a smile spread across his features, “hello, Jaemin. How have you been?”

Jaemin glanced towards the couch before he could help it, catching sight of Renjun and Jeno, now in human form, both looking over the edge right at them. Taeyong and Ten followed his gaze easily, his sire’s eyes lighting up curiously, but Jaemin quickly interrupted before the elder vampire could start spewing questions, “I’ve been fine. Who’s this?”

That turned the attention the third person in their party, the unnamed vampire that Jaemin had yet to meet. He was about the same height as Jaemin himself, though his hair was a washed out orange compared to his own dark hair. His eyes were familiar, a startling red hue that vampire’s only had when they were either starving or fledglings, who might as well be permanently thirsty for the first few decades of life.

Knowing that, it wasn’t a surprise that the fledgling (because what else would he be, why else would Ten come to visit) had his fangs extended, sharp incisors gnawing at his bottom lip. It didn’t excuse the way the stranger was eyeing up Renjun and Jeno though, and Jaemin felt his spine straighten up as he smoothly stepped into the fledglings eyeline, effectively blocking the two behind his back.

“Ah, this is Yangyang!” Ten spoke up, dark eyes glittering in amusement as he glanced between the two of them with a smile, “he’s your new baby brother.”

Jaemin instantly grimaced, a look mirrored by the fledgling, “you’re not my dad.”

“I’m not a baby!”

All three of them standing in the doorway looked at him mockingly at that statement. Jaemin knew Ten was at least three times older than himself, and there was literally no telling just how old Taeyong was. After a few seconds of silence, Yangyang looked away with a huff, crossing his arms over his chest, “whatever. Why are we here again?”

“Actually, that’s a good question. Why _are_ you here? You’ve had the slayers all riled up for weeks,” Jaemin complained, keeping one eye trained on Yangyang as the fledgling tried to glance over his shoulder at Renjun and Jeno. Jaemin didn’t hesitate to bare his fangs in a warning, his own eyes flashing dangerously.

Ten chuckled, swinging an arm up to wrap around Yangyang’s shoulders and forcibly dragging him down to his height so that he could ruffle the fledgling’s hair, “I turned him about five years ago, and he was finally stable enough to travel with. Figured he might as well know how to find the only other person I’ve found worthy enough to turn.”

Jaemin grimaced, “you only turned me because you felt bad.”

“Dude, same,” Yangyang breathed, glancing up at Jaemin even as he futility struggled against Ten’s ironclad hold, “he ran me over with his sports car.”

Jaemin gaped at this information, turning incredulous eyes towards his sheepish looking sire. Taeyong was simply sighing in exasperation, reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose, “I _told_ him not to go on the Autobahn. But did he listen? Of course not.”

Ten huffed, turning his head away so that Taeyong couldn’t look at his expression, “everything turned out fine.”

“I just can’t believe you ran another person over before deciding to turn them too,” Jaemin muttered darkly, shifting his weight onto his heels. Taeyong glanced at him sharply, eyebrows raised in curiosity. Ignoring the warning look Ten shot him, Jaemin shot the fae a fanged smile, “what, he never told you? We met because he trampled me with his horse.”

“You shouldn’t have been in the middle of the road!” Ten immediately argued, throwing his hands up and finally allowing Yangyang to straighten.

“I wasn’t,” Jaemin drawled slowly, looking at his sire up and down derisively, “I had distinctly jumped _away_ from the road. You nearly killed me anyway.”

Ten sniffed haughtily, looking like a disturbed cat as he tried to shift around Jaemin and venture further into the apartment, “whatever, it was the horse’s fault.”

“ _Ten_ ,” Taeyong breathed, his voice having reached new levels of incredulousness.

Jaemin wasn’t paying attention though. He was too busy stepping back with every step Ten took forward, keeping a careful eye on Yangyang and any sudden movements from the two of them. It was a careful calculation on his part, quickly determining how to step so that he was constantly standing between the two in front of him and the two behind him.

Ten noticed what he was doing immediately, dark eyes lighting up in unholy glee, “oh? This is new. Who are your friends, Jaemin?”

“No one to concern yourself with, sire,” Jaemin assured, hoping the sliver of respect would be enough to convince Ten to drop it.

It wasn’t, of course. The elder didn’t even hesitate before stepping into Jaemin’s space and tilting himself up enough so that he could look over Jaemin’s shoulder. Jaemin didn’t dare move, not with the way Ten’s nails were sinking into his sides in warning.

Judging by the way Renjun and Jeno’s hearts - already beating double time compared to their normal rhythm - sped up anxiously, Ten didn’t even attempt to hide the overwhelming glee that flooded his scent.

“ _Oh_ ,” Ten cooed, amusement practically dripping from his voice, “you’ve made some interesting friends, Jaemin.”

Jaemin grimaced, taking a quick glance over to Taeyong and Yangyang. The fae was still by the door, in the process of politely removing his shoes. The fledgling, on the other hand, had stepped further into the apartment as he took quick sniffs at the air, his eyes seeming to shine even brighter.

Jaemin didn’t even attempt to withhold a growl, his eyes narrowing on Yangyang as the fledgling instinctively froze, “they’re _mine_.”

Yangyang frowned at him mutinously, before looking at their amused sire, “Ten?”

Ten waved one of his hands nonchalantly, “I’d listen to him if I were you, baby. You wouldn’t be the first vampire Jaemin has shredded.”

Jaemin scoffed, rolling his eyes and pointedly ignoring the way Renjun and Jeno were staring at him in shock, “I haven’t done that in more than a century, and you damn well know it.”

“Ah, yes,” Ten murmrued, his eyes creasing unhappily as he stepped back towards where Taeyong was watching them, the fae’s pretty feature creased unhappily at all the drama, “how could I forget when you left me all alone?”

Jaemin let out a scoff, “you didn’t need me around.”

“No, but I liked having you there,” Ten admitted easily, as if his words weren’t a stake driving guilty into Jaemin’s chest. He hated whenever his departure was brought up, because it was truly one of the most selfish moments of his existence so far. He knew Ten had depended on his company, had thrived on having a companion to share his immortality with. Jaemin was his first fledgling after all, the first vampire Ten had ever created.

Jaemin knew his departure had broken something between them, but even if he felt guilty, he had never regretted it. Ten lived his life in a way Jaemin had never been satisfied with, and it had taken him decades of enduring before he had finally decided to just _stop._

To stop being complacent, to stop tagging along on endeavors he didn’t want to be involved in, to stop being Ten’s little lap dog.

He liked his life the way it was now so much more. Even if he was a bit of a social recluse, he was much happier than he had ever been throughout the time he had been on the move with Ten. He was _enjoying_ the life he had been gifted with, instead of just running through the motions of endless existence.

Jaemin gazed at his sire for a long moment, hoping something in his expression transmitted those feelings to the elder, before carefully moving over to where Renjun and Jeno had pushed themselves to their feet. Wrapping a careful arm around their waists, both as a sign that they were _his_ and to have a good grip on them if they needed to bolt, Jaemin tilted his head towards the three visitors.

“This is Renjun and Jeno. They’re my...well, they’re mine,” Jaemin decided on, because they never really had spoken about what they were to each other.

There was a beat of silence as they all stared at one another. Renjun and Jeno’s hearts were racing by his side, no doubt the cause of Yangyang’s entranced gaze. Jaemin was only a few seconds from hissing at the fledgling again just on principle, but then Taeyong was gracing them with a beatific smile that erased the tenseness in the air.

“Hello. I’m Taeyong, High Knight of the Eastern Fae Court. It’s very nice to meet you,” Taeyong finished his sentence with a proper bow, ignoring the incredulous eyes of Yangyang, Renjun and Jeno. Ten and Jaemin were long used to how proper he could be, and Jaemin was honestly surprised Yangyang hadn’t grown accustomed to the fae’s manners yet.

“Um, hi?” Renjun returned after trading a quick glance with Jaemin. Jeno quietly offered his own greeting, even as he curled himself further into Jaemin’s arm. It would’ve been funny how small Jeno was trying to become, if only Jaemin wasn’t so annoyed about how nervous the two of them were. He never wanted them to be this wary around him, even though he knew it was more due to his sire and his new fledgling.

Taeyong didn’t seem to notice, simply nodding back at the two with a kind smile before turning sharp eyes Ten’s way, “stop scaring them.”

Ten raised his chin imperiously, “I’m not scary.”

Jaemin snorted, raising a mocking eyebrow when his sire shot him a glare, “sure you’re not. The slayer’s are just scurrying about like a bunch of rattled ants because they feel like it.”

“The slayers are incompetent and Kun’s training regimen is clearly lacking. There was this slayer in America who almost got me-”

“Because you were too busy telling Johnny that you would like to climb him like a tree,” Taeyong interrupted, rolling his eyes even as his tone softened indulgently.

Ten scoffed, “like you wouldn’t have joined. Anyway, he almost got me with his stupid knife, but luckily he just gutted me instead.”

Jeno let out a wounded sound, “gutted?”

Jaemin tightened the arm he had around the shifter in comfort, “don’t worry, as long as we have our head and our heart’s intact, we don’t die. Ten probably just drained someone and was better in a day or two. Isn’t that right?”

Ten rolled his eyes at the look Jaemin shot him, even as he shrugged nonchalantly, “you’re half right. Taeyong doesn’t let me drain people anymore since it leaves too much of a trail. So the human survived, and Taeyong let me have some of his blood instead.”

Jaemin blinked in surprise, turning his head to eye Taeyong’s nonchalant expression incredulously, “really?”

“It’s not that big of a deal,” Taeyong murmured, shrugging. He was wrong though, because it most certainly _was_ a big deal. Fae didn’t give up their blood lightly, and the fact that Taeyong had let Ten feed from him was practically a declaration of marriage.

“Right…” Jaemin murmured, his disbelief obvious. No one acknowledged it though, and Ten easily changed the subject by clapping his hands together with a happy, fang-filled grin before turning to Yangyang.

“Give me my bag, baby.”

While Yangyang protested over the nickname, which was a futile endeavor that Jaemin knew from experience, Jaemin quickly leaned closer to Renjun’s ear as he dropped his voice into a whisper, “if any of them come near you two, blast them.”

Renjun cracked a small smile, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. He looked confident though, so Jaemin took that to mean that Renjun had already been planning on it. Assured, Jaemin shifted back a bit so that he could transfer Jeno into Renjun’s grip, his heard squeezing at the way the shifter curled up behind Renjun’s shoulder.

Normally he would be focused on the size difference between the two, or the way that Renjun didn’t protest when Jeno threaded their fingers together. Unfortunately, he had to keep his guest’s focus on himself, so he didn’t hesitate to step towards where his sire was babbling about some gifts he had picked up for Jaemin throughout his travels.

It was kind of bittersweet, to be honest. Jaemin _loved_ his sire, and he knew that Ten loved him too. There was just too much history between them for them to trust each other unconditionally.

Still, Jaemin smiled genuinely when Ten passed him his gifts, an excited little thrill making its way down his spine as Ten watched him attentively. Because even if they weren’t as close as they once were, Ten _was_ his sire, and Jaemin knew they loved each other, no matter how strained their relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> well. that happened. just took four months djflsdkjf and we finally got to see jaemin's sire uwu and his new fledgling heh aND WE ALSO GOT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT JAEMIN'S PAST~ anyway tell me what you think, and i'll try my best not to let as much time pass between this chapter and the next dlksjfsdlfj
> 
> [ [twt](https://twitter.com/toxicmew) || [cc](https://curiouscat.me/toxicmew) ]


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